Double duty: temple head coach Dawn Staley has a "day job" that keeps her nose right on the hardwood, as the starting point guard for the Charlotte Sting

DAWN STALEY DOESN'T HAVE much down time from the game of basketball. In fact, she's one of the busiest people in her sport. Right now, she is guiding the Temple Owls women's basketball team to their third consecutive winning season.

For most people, being a Division I coach is enough, a full-time job that's quite a handful. Well, Staley has two fulltime positions. By winter, she coaches; by summer, she's the crafty 5'4" point guard for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting.

"I try to stay focused on what I'm doing," Staley says. "It's a lot of work. At the present time, I can't worry about anything but coaching. We went to the NCAA Tournament last year. [This year] we want to get back to the Tournament and go a little further."

The summer is a key time for basketball coaches. But of course, Staley can't be in Philly recruiting and in Charlotte playing at the same time. However, she hasn't experienced any problems finding players for Temple's program.

"I stay in touch with everybody," Staley says. "Quite naturally, I'm playing in Charlotte. I can't go out and watch players during the summer. I have some great coaches on my staff [Ed Baldwin, Ervin Monier, and Lisa Boyer]. They do a good job. They let me know what's going on. We're a family. We're very close."

Staley does receive a lot of support from her Temple family. She also has played extremely well for the Sting. Two years ago, she helped Charlotte recover from a 1-10 start to advance to the WNBA Finals, where the Sting lost to the Los Angeles Sparks. Last season, she averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game, was voted to the league's All-Star team, and led the Sting to the playoffs, where Charlotte lost to the Washington Mystics in the first round. Nevertheless, Staley's hustle and leadership had quite an impact on her Temple players.

"I watched her play all summer," says Khadija Bowens, Temple's 5'11" sophomore guard. "Dawn can still play the game. I learned a lot from watching her play. I've gained a lot of knowledge from listening to her as my coach. Dawn is an inspiration to so many girls playing basketball throughout the city."

Staley began her storied basketball career at Dobbins Technical High School (1986-88) in Philadelphia, where she was named USA Today's National High School Player of the Year and led the Mustangs to three straight Philadelphia Public League championships.

She was a three-time All-American while starting at the University of Virginia and led Virginia to three Final Four appearances. Staley was named the National Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. After her college career, she played professionally in France, Italy, Brazil, and Spain.

In 1994, she came home and competed for Team USA in the Goodwill Games and the World Championships. In 1996, Staley helped the women's basketball team win a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Staley began her professional playing career in the U.S. when she joined the Richmond Rage of the American Basketball League for the 1996-97 season, carrying the team to the league finals. The Rage moved to Philadelphia for the 1997-98 season and played at Temple's Liacouras Center. She averaged 14.0 ppg, 7.2 apg, and 3.5 rpg in her ABL career and was a two-time All-Star.

Staley then moved to the WNBA as the No. 9 pick of the Sting. This summer she'll begin her fourth year in Charlotte.

"I've been very fortunate to play on every level," says Staley, who also was a member of the women's "Dream Team" that represented the U.S. in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. "It wasn't easy. You have to put in a lot of work That's exactly what I've done over the years. I've played on some good teams. I've been surrounded with some good players. In Charlotte, we play great defense, protect the ball, and play together. And that's the way our team plays at Temple."

Staley grew up on the rugged streets of north Philadelphia and is one of the city's most visible professional athletes. A year ago, Staley and Philadelphia 76ers guard Eric Snow were the hosts of the NBA's Jam Session during All-Star week.

In addition, she's found time to head the Dawn Staley Foundation, which is aimed at giving inner city children positive reinforcement. The foundation sponsors after-school programs, a three-hour focus on academics, and athletics at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center, as well as summer leagues and fundraising activities.

Temple signed Staley to a new five-year contract at the beginning of the 2002-03 season. "I'm pleased that the administration and the athletic department have given me the opportunity to continue what we started here at Temple," Staley says. "The contract extension represents the level of commitment Temple has to building a winning tradition in women's basketball."

"We're very fortunate to have two of the nation's premier basketball coaches in Dawn Staley and the legendary John Chaney," says Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw. "Chaney is a Hall-of-Famer and Dawn is a future Hall-of-Famer."

In spite of the hectic schedule, Staley, 32, doesn't plan to give up her dual careen She enjoys playing and coaching too much.

"I want to coach and play as long as I can," Staley says. "We have a good team in Charlotte. We have some exciting players down there. We've been a playoff team. We've been to the Finals. So, we've had some success.

"I like coaching at Temple, too. I've seen our program really grow over the last two years. I just want to keep it going."

COPYRIGHT 2003 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group