(ThyBlackMan.com) This article is written from the perspective of a coach, educator, and overall sports enthusiast.
Without any doubt, this writer would say that Dawn Staley is by far the best basketball coach in the world today — not only women’s basketball, but basketball in general. And yes, that also means I am sure of my vote and that she should be the next head coach of the New York Knicks.
It is well known to me that some folks might laugh at the idea. A woman leading an NBA team? For some of them, that is still completely unimaginable. However, I feel it is about time. The point is, if we’re talking about the need, capability, leadership, and those non-material things that great coaches have, Dawn Staley meets every requirement and even more.
First, I want to tell you why I am so sure.
A Proven Winner on Every Stage
First, let’s discuss the hardware. Dawn Staley is a college basketball coach who has established one of the most dominant teams in the sport at South Carolina. She is a four-time NCAA Coach of the Year, and her Gamecocks have won three national championships (2017, 2022 and 2024). Her teams are always there in the final stages, they are always disciplined, and they are always ready.
However, championships only reveal so much of the story. The more impressive feat is the environment she has created. Staley has turned South Carolina into a formidable force by attracting the best talent and transforming those players into stars. Players such as A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Kamilla Cardoso didn’t just come to South Carolina to play basketball — they came to be taught by one of the smartest minds in the game.
Moreover, those people adore her. You can recognize it in how they express her leading skill, her truthfulness, and the way she requires perfect work while still caring deeply for them. This is the signature of a great coach, and it is the same at different levels — college, professional, men’s, women’s. Basketball is basketball, and leadership is leadership.
More Than Xs and Os
A brilliant coach isn’t only someone who is good at drawing diagrams on a whiteboard. It is primarily about building relationships with people. It is about learning how to get the best out of the team, how to give them the confidence, and how to deal with different personalities in stressful situations. Dawn Staley understand that perfectly.
One of the reasons why I adore Staley so much is her emotional intelligence. She can sense the atmosphere of the room. She can tell exactly when she should be more aggressive and when she should go lighter. In interviews, she appears to be straightforward, fearless, and authentic. Her players respect her because she is respectful towards them. She doesn’t only push them to deliver their best for the sake of winning but also because she wants them to be the best version of themselves.
This is exactly the type of personality that the Knicks could use. Openly talking — New York is probably the most challenging environment for any sports team. The constant attention from the media is like a never-ending spotlight, the fans are very intense and demanding, and the stakes are always very high. A coach in New York has to be strong enough to survive the criticism but also experienced enough to keep the locker room peaceful and united.
Dawn Staley is perfect for this. She has been in situations with enormous pressure, such as Olympic medal games or national championship runs, and she always managed to navigate it successfully. She has been the target of harsh treatment being a Black woman who is the only one in the field and she’s constantly the only one in the room. And she has done all of these things while keeping her identity intact.
A Visionary Basketball Mind
Talking basketball knowledge only, Dawn Staley’s basketball IQ is really high. She is a Hall of Famer in her own right with a record that consists of three Olympic gold medals and several WNBA All-Star appearances. She has been in every part of the game — as a floor player, a leader, and now as a coach.
Her teams are typically associated with relentless defense, smooth execution, and the ability to change according to the situation. She’s not scared of changing her system to match her people — a very important skill in the NBA, where a lot of players are coming and going and there are many egos around.
Take a look at her South Carolina teams: in those days when she got a very strong post player like A’ja Wilson, the offense was going through the block. However, when her team was more like guards, she opened up the floor and relied on the perimeter pressure. She coaches in a very creative and confident manner, always ready to make decisive choices in critical moments.
The Knicks definitely need that kind of vision. They have been stuck in rigid schemes that have been unable to change when they get into trouble, way too often. Staley’s quick wit and her capacity to adapt her plans to her players might be the exact thing that changes the Knicks from being perennial underachievers into real contenders.
Representation Matters — And So Does Winning
I know some people will say, “But she’s never coached men.” We should look at the facts.
As a coach myself of successful youth athletes both male and female, there are certain qualities an outstanding coach should have. First, basketball fundamentals do not change with gender. Offense, defense, leadership, communication — those are universal. Top men’s coaches have coached women’s basketball teams at some point in their careers. The concept that the women can’t do the job as men’s coaches is a myth that is now being challenged and needs to be finally debunked.
Secondly, we saw how quickly, talented women coaches changed the men’s game. Becky Hammon, who was an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, commanded respect from NBA stars and is now a WNBA champion as a head coach. Kara Lawson is another case, she is an up-and-coming star, and she has not had a problem going back and forth between men’s and women’s roles.
Hiring Dawn Staley, of course, would not only be for breaking down barriers — although it surely would be groundbreaking and significant. It would merely be about hiring the right person at the right time. Period! President Donald Trump may attempt to void the deal and say Staley would be a DEI hire; maybe he wouldn’t go that far; but I’m just saying anything could happen!
True, this would also be good for business. A Dawn Staley recruitment would energize Madison Square Garden as never before. It would transform the Knicks into the hottest talking-point in sports overnight. Fans, media, casual watchers — all would watch to see how she performs. And if the Knicks have had a shortage of anything besides wins, it would be the real thrill and identity.
She’s Ready — And So Are We
I am aware that appointing Dawn Staley to this role would be a daring, and at the same time, a very controversial decision. It’d be a staple news story, and there would be lots of hot takes and plenty of skepticism. But I also firmly think that we are due for such a moment.
The NBA portrays itself as a progressive and innovative league. There is no better way to demonstrate that than by choosing the most qualified coach, regardless of gender, to lead the team.
I have been following Dawn Staley’s career closely for quite a few years. I have seen how she wins, gives an inspirational speech, and leads with such a passion that it even goes beyond the basketball court. As a freelance journalist, I have interviewed her players, listening to how they talk about her, how fans rally around her, and how she is always calm, no matter the circumstances.
Thus, let me repeat it one more time, even louder than before: Dawn Staley should be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. She has proved it with her record and is capable of taking on the challenge. Basketball would be better, as a sport and a culture, if this were to happen.
It is about time.
I am going to go out on a limb and say I think the New York Nicks will wrestle away the NBA title from the Champion OKC team in the upcoming season under the mentorship of Dawn Staley, however, I don’t think they will get a Whitehouse invite to display the hardware…I’m just sayin!
Associate Editor; Stanley G. Buford
Feel free to connect with this brother via Twitter; Stanley G. and also facebook; http://www.facebook.com/sgbuford.
Also his email addy is; StanleyG@ThyBlackMan.com.
