Yahoo Sports Dawn Staley may not be done coaching Team USA: 'I’m feeling a little bit differently now'
After winning her sixth Olympic gold medal at the tail end of the Tokyo Games a few weeks ago, Team USA women's basketball coach Dawn Staley said she was "full," and ready to step down from her position.
Dawn: "Our country has a lot of great coaches that can get the job done. Me, being a part of I believe six, that’s enough. I’m full, I’m full."
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 8, 2021
But 10 days has made all the difference in the world for Staley. On Tuesday, the South Carolina coach wasn't quite so firm on her desire to leave Team USA behind.
“You ask a woman, post-giving birth, does she want to have another baby? Her immediate response is no,” Staley said via the Associated Press and The Star. “But then, you see how much that baby gives you so much joy, you start thinking about it. I’m probably about nine, 10 days removed from [the Olympics], I’m feeling a little bit differently now.”
Staley still supports Cheryl Reeve as her replacement
After winning gold at the Olympics, Staley said she fully supports her Team USA assistant, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, to replace her for the 2024 Games in Paris.
"Cheryl's been around for a long time and she has been an assistant coach with this team for a long time," Staley said in Tokyo via the Star-Tribune. "She can handle this position quite well and she'll demand and command respect from the players. What she can bring to the table is unmatched. So she'd get my nod, for sure."
Staley still fully endorses Reeve, and said that she's assuming that Reeve will be the women's head coach for the next Olympics. But she also said that if USA Basketball comes calling for 2024, she'd be up for another run.
“I’m gonna leave it as if Cheryl is the one, she’s the one,” Staley said via The Star. “If they choose to go in a different direction and come back here, I’ve never turned USA Basketball down.”
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