South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is thought for sporting designer outfits on the sideline.
In latest years, Staley has surprised in Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, along with her wardrobe together with monitor fits, graphic T-shirts and extra.
Advertisement
There’s no telling what outfit Staley will select for No. 1 seed South Carolina’s (33-3) matchup with No. 4 seed Oklahoma (26-7) within the Sweet 16 in Sacramento, California on March 28 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).
But there is not any doubt she’ll be outfitted along with her staple equipment: handmade beaded necklaces that she’s worn since 2023.
Why does Dawn Staley put on the necklaces?
Staley first began sporting the necklaces after assembly Blakeleigh Thompson, a childhood cancer patient at Virginia’s Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Through her partnership with Aflac, Staley, who was a star at Virginia, visited the hospital and linked with Thompson in the summertime of 2023. They made necklaces collectively the primary time they met.
Advertisement
In March 2024, in the course of the NCAA Tournament, Thompson surprised Staley on ESPN with a brand new necklace. Staley mentioned then that sporting the necklace offers her perspective.
“What we do is coach this game or play this game or just love up on this game that we love when so many other people are going through much more deeper things than us, and they have a much better outlook on it,” she mentioned. “… I just feel forever indebted that (Thompson’s family) allowed me a small part of their life, which changes my life.”
Thompson surprised Staley again on ESPN earlier than the Elite Eight within the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament. Before the Gamecocks’ matchup with Texas within the Final Four, Blakeleigh gifted Staley a 3rd necklace in Tampa.
In July 2025, then-7-year-old Thompson rang the bell, marking the top of her cancer remedy. Staley was in attendance.
Advertisement
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports activities for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and observe her on X @tiareid65.
This article initially appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why is Dawn Staley wearing handmade necklaces in March Madness?
