Dawn Staley
Basketball Hall of Famer member and current University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach, Dawn Staley, is a Philadelphia native and a Dobbins Tech alumnus. She was named the national player of the year during her senior year of high school and went on to play at the University of Virginia, winning two ACC player of the year awards and two Naismith College Player of the Year awards. Staley was selected ninth overall in the 1999 WNBA Draft and would go on to make six all-star teams and win three Olympic gold medals. Since retiring, Staley has found major success in coaching, winning 10 conference tournaments, six Coach of the Year Awards, made three Final Fours and won the National Championship with the Gamecocks in 2017.
Mo’ne Davis
Taney Little League and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy alumnus Mo’ne Davis might be the most famous player to ever play in the Little League World Series. The current second baseman for the Hampton University Pirates softball team pitched a shutout in her pitching debut at the 2014 iteration of the tournament, making her the first woman to both win a game and pitch a shutout. Her dominant performance was a monumental moment for women in sports.
Natasha Cloud
Cardinal O’Hara High School alumnus and WNBA champion Natasha Cloud is one of the greatest athletes to ever don the crimson and gray. She was selected to the AAAA All State First Team her junior and senior year of high school, and continued to add on to her accolades while she was on Hawk Hill. She was a Second Team All Atlantic 10 (A-10) selection her junior season, and a First Team selection in her senior year. She was also a three time All-A-10 defensive team and won A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in her junior year. She continued her success at the professional level, winning the 2019 WNBA Championship with the Washington Mystics and was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in that same season.
What does it mean to be a woman in college basketball?
“Being a woman in college basketball gives me the ability to advocate that women can compete at the highest level and be an inspiration for younger generations.”
– Katie Jekot
Graduate student guard
“To be a woman in college basketball means that we too are given the opportunity to compete using our talent, skill, teamwork and motivation just like our male counterparts. We are also role models for young girls and women who either want to play basketball in college or coach while raising a family,”
– Cindy Griffin
Head Coach
