How Dawn Staley built a pipeline from South Carolina women's basketball to WNBA success

COLUMBIA — Zia Cooke will always think of the 2023 WNBA Draft as the best day of her life.

When the future All-American signed with South Carolina women's basketball in 2019, getting to the WNBA was her singular focus. Coach Dawn Staley knew it, and she immediately began to leverage that ultimate goal in Cooke's training.

"You utilize the fact that they want to be pros, and well, if you want to be a pro then these habits are the ones your need to develop really quickly," Staley said. "They don't get it the first or second year, but they usually get it ... and now it's just a matter of letting their habits do their thing."

Hardly a month after she was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks, Cooke had a career performance in her first WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury. She scored 14 points in 15 minutes off the bench, shooting 83% from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Staley sat courtside at that game to celebrate the return of Brittney Griner after her detainment in Russia, and getting to share in Cooke's shining pro debut was a pleasant bonus.

"It was amazing to have her there, and to able to put on a performance the way I did with her in the building felt even better," Cooke said. "Since then I've had my times where I've been down, and she was the person I call to lift me up ... She has a whole team that she can worry about, but anytime I call (she's) there for me and I appreciate it."

Dawn Staley players on WNBA rosters

There are 55 NCAA institutions represented across the 144 athletes on WNBA rosters, but only three schools have at least 10 active players in the league. Unsurprisingly, Geno Auriemma and UConn lead the way with 16, while South Carolina is tied with Notre Dame for second place with 10.

What stands out about Staley's group is its recent growth. Of Auriemma's 16 alumni, four entered the league in the last three seasons, and the group averages four years of experience. None of Notre Dame's players have less than four years of experience, and they average nearly six years in the league.

Four of South Carolina's 10 alumni are rookies, and three others have entered the league in the last four years. Only two, Tiffany Mitchell and Allisha Gray, have played more than five seasons — seven and six, respectively.

The Gamecocks are outpacing the rest of the SEC in producing WNBA players — though it's notable that LSU coach Kim Mulkey has seven from her 21 years at Baylor. The second highest-producing program is Tennessee with six active players, followed by Mississippi State with two and Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at one apiece.

Dawn Staley got A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston ready for instant WNBA impact

Cooke vividly remembers a meeting with Staley and her father Stratman during her freshman season at South Carolina. At the time, the topic surprised Cooke: Staley thought she was working too hard.

"When my shots weren't going in or I felt like I was having bad games, I would just go to the gym and pound it, and that ended up hurting me instead of helping me," Cooke said. "She sat me and my dad down and was telling us both ... she's in the gym when she should have been relaxing or watching film. At the pro level, listening to your body is one of the most important things you have to do, especially if you want to play for a long time."

Of the five South Carolina players selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft, four made rosters and two have already earned multiple starts. Aliyah Boston, the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year, is the only player in the league shooting above 60% from the field and is averaging a near double-double for the Indiana Fever at 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

For Staley, WNBA readiness is all about preparing players for the challenges of the professional level beyond the actual competition.

"The things that most young people are worried about going into training camp, our players aren't worried about," Staley said. "They're not worried about conditioning. They're not worried about nutrition. They're only worried about, conceptually, what are they running? So they're just in the process of 'its basketball' at that point."

A smooth transition is nothing new for Staley-coached players. Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, was Rookie of the Year and named an All-Star in her first season. Gray also won Rookie of the Year in 2017, and Mitchell was an All-Rookie selection in 2016.

"I remember when when I scored my first legit basket (in the WNBA), I was like ooh, OK I can still get to the basket. It was pretty cool to see that I could translate well ... and I think that preparation came from Coach Staley," Wilson said. "Maybe not necessarily what she walks us through with X's and O's, but more so about the mentality of how to approach the league and just how to just go out there and do exactly your job."

Fever coach Christie Sides, who drafted both Boston and South Carolina teammate Victaria Saxton in 2023, said she saw firsthand the way Staley prepared her athletes while scouting the draft class at Gamecocks practices.

"I've seen a couple of their practices over the last couple of years, and it looks like a pro practice at times the way they're moving," Sides said. "(Boston and Saxton) play at a level, if I'm asking them to go at a 10 they're giving me a 10 or right under because that's just something that's been instilled in them ... It's really incredible their competitiveness, how they can turn it on when they're supposed to and turn it off to be great teammates right after."

Dawn Staley has WNBA advantage as South Carolina coach

Across 69 Power Five programs, only eight coaches played in the WNBA, and Staley was by far the most successful of the group. She was a six-time WNBA All-Star over her 12 seasons in the league, tied with Duke coach Kara Lawson for the longest professional career. Lawson is the only other active coach who earned All-Star honors in the WNBA, once in 2007.

When Cooke went through the recruiting process as the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2019, Staley's own success as a professional was was a huge point in the Gamecocks' favor.

"When I got to South Carolina, a lot of people talked about how close Coach Staley was connected with the WNBA and knew a lot of people, but I didn't worry too much about that," Cooke said. "With her already playing in the W, being the USA coach and a USA player, all the accomplishments she had ... I just felt like it was only right to start my college career with her."

ALIYAH BOSTON: Aliyah Boston gets homecoming welcome from South Carolina fans in win over Atlanta Dream

Though it's been nearly two decades since Staley's playing days, she still has a unique understanding of the demands that players face in the WNBA. She also spends plenty of time around the league: Staley is a season-ticket holder for the Atlanta Dream, and the WNBA annually presents the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award in her honor.

"I texted her a few days into training camp and I was like thank you so much for preparing me," Cooke said. "Usually the rookie is the person holding up drills and making things go slower, but that wasn't the case because a lot of the things I was learning I already knew. They put their own spin on things, but the concept is the same, and I wouldn't be able to learn as fast if it wasn't for what I was taught in college."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley WNBA pipeline runs through South Carolina women's basketball