WHEREAS, Dawn Michelle Staley, a former member of the University of Virginia women's basketball team, has established herself as both one of the greatest players and coaches in the history of women's basketball; and

WHEREAS, finishing her high school career as the USA Today National Player of the Year, Dawn Staley would go on to be named the Naismith College Player of the Year two times as a University of Virginia Cavalier; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Staley continued to reach great heights in both her professional and international playing careers, being named a Women's National Basketball Association all-star six times and winning three Olympic gold medals; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Staley embarked upon her illustrious career as a coach with the Temple University women's basketball team, leading the Owls to six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments and four Atlantic 10 Conference tournament titles; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, Dawn Staley was named head coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team, where she has since built the program from the ground up into one of the most formidable squads in the nation; and

WHEREAS, under Dawn Staley's leadership, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks have won eight Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular-season titles and eight SEC tournament titles, placing her second all-time in the league's record books; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Staley's Gamecocks have won an incredible three NCAA national championships in the past eight years, including two of the last three, while reaching the Final Four six times over the last nine tournaments; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of her accomplishments, Dawn Staley was named head coach of the United States national women's basketball team in 2017, and she led the team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Staley has been a trailblazer of her sport, becoming both the first Black head coach of the United States national women's basketball team and the first Black head coach to win multiple NCAA basketball national championships; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Staley holds the unique distinction of being the first person to be named both the Naismith College Player of the Year and the Naismith College Coach of the Year, an honor she received for a record fourth time in 2024 after her team won the NCAA national championship and finished the season with a perfect 38–0 record; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Dawn Michelle Staley hereby be commended for her unparalleled achievements in the sport of basketball; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dawn Michelle Staley as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her triumphs and best wishes for her continued success.