Dawn Staley in awe of AAU coach's bold "4th quarter" decision in crucial game 

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was impressed by Northwest Greyhounds AAU coach Zachary Carter after a bold move in their third-place game at the Adidas 3SSB tournament. In the fourth quarter, Carter left his second unit on the court, a gutsy call that caught Staley’s attention. So much so, she shared her admiration and applauded the decision on X/Twitter.

“Just witnessed an AAU coach leave his 2nd unit in the 4th quarter of a championship game to finish it off,” Staley said. “Mind you they were down when the 1st unit was in! And they won! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done in this day and age. BRAVO! P.S. I’m glad they won the game!”

Even when Coach Staley found out the game was actually for third place, not the championship, she remained impressed. The fact that Carter still trusted his second unit at that moment spoke volumes, and Staley doubled down on her praise, highlighting just how much she respected the move.

“*actually 3rd place game. Nevertheless impressive!” she wrote.

Coach Dawn Staley is a legendary figure in the basketball world, with over 25 years of experience at the college level. So, getting such high praise from someone of her stature was no small thing for the Greyhounds team. Recognizing how much it meant, class of 2026 prospect Olivia Collins responded to the tweet, humbly acknowledging Staley’s recognition and appreciating her coach's decision:

“@dawnstaley That was me and my 2nd squad!! Let's goooo. @NWGreyhounds so glad we got to finish it out and get the dub thanks coach!!”

The Northwest Greyhounds also joined in on the excitement. Via their official Instagram page, the team reacted to Staley’s praise by sharing a screenshot of the interaction on their story, alongside a couple of celebratory emojis:

Greyhounds react to South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley's tweet. (Image via Instagram @NWgteayhounds)

Dawn Staley has served as the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks since 2008, during which she's led them to over 20 titles.

“I coach like I’m their point guard”: Dawn Staley on her coaching technique

In a 2021 episode of the "Finding Mastery" podcast, Dawn Staley opened up about her coaching style, reflecting on how her upbringing and past experiences as a player have shaped the way she leads today.

"I've had a lot of different coaches in my career," she said (Timestamp- 13:08 onwards). "I've been coached by a coach who was methodical, low turnover, value the ball; I've been coached by a coach who allowed me to make mistakes and be creative and talk me through those mistakes.”

She further explained that she draws from all these influences in her coaching philosophy.

"I had coaches who just played head games, had you thought outside of the 94 feet. And I've taken all of those experiences and for me, I just take the good from them that works for me. I'm a player's coach because I coach like I'm their point guard versus being up here and they're down. I'm a team member," she added (Timestamp- 13:50 onwards).

Last season, Staley led the Gamecocks to the NCAA Finals, but ultimately lost to Geno Auriemma’s UConn.

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Veer Badani