Coach Dawn Staley would be prepping the U. S. women\u2019s basketball team for the Tokyo Olympics this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic. Instead,\u2026<\/b>
\nCoach Dawn Staley would be prepping the U. S. women\u2019s basketball team for the Tokyo Olympics this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, she\u2019ll hold a Zoom conference call Wednesday with players who are vying for a spot on the roster in 2021, if the postponed Olympics are held next year.
\u201cAlthough we have things we\u2019re dealing with in our personal lives and our basketball lives, we\u2019ll get together to talk about some things, say hello to each other and get a virtual hug,\u201d said Staley, a three-time Olympic basketball gold-medal winner. \u201cIt actually would be Opening Ceremonies in a few weeks.\u201d
Staley says she\u2019s in \u201cconstant communication\u201d with USA Basketball officials.
\u201cWe\u2019re playing it by ear just like the rest of the country, the rest of the world,\u201d she said.
Now, Staley is focused on getting her South Carolina women\u2019s team back on campus in a safe environment. Her team finished No. 1 in the last Associated Press poll and won the SEC Tournament before the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus. Some players will return in mid-July, but they won\u2019t get on the basketball court until August, she said.
They\u2019ll follow CDC guidelines by wearing masks, social distancing, hand washing and getting tested. Staley is aware the frequent testing may result in positive tests.
\u201cIf the numbers are trending in the wrong direction, then we\u2019ve got to pivot,\u201d she said. \u201cJust trying to keep our athletes in a safe space.\u201d
If a player tests positive, she\u2019ll be quarantined and those around her will be tested and quarantined. \u201cThe cluster will have to quarantine, not necessarily the whole team,\u201d Staley said.
This summer, her players have been discussing ways to support social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
\u201cThey are talking about it. I want it to be their voice and not my voice,\u201d said Staley, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. \u201cI just want to support them. (There are) causes that I care about dearly and the ones that hit my heart, that moves me to do something. I\u2019m letting them tell me what they want and getting those people who can help them plan and grow and learn.\u201d
The 50-year-old Staley expects to roll out her own \u201caction plan\u201d on hiring this week. The goal is \u201cnumbers trending in the right direction when it comes to hiring Black people and people of color.\u201d
She hopes the plan, with deadlines, provides opportunities in communities and is \u201ca model that other universities and colleges can use to increase their numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n