The veteran Gamecocks coach received 20 votes from the national media panel that selects the Top 25 poll each week. The Gamecocks won their final 26 games and were No 1 in the AP poll for the final 10 weeks of the season. Staley became the second African-American coach to win the AP award, joining Carolyn Peck, who was honored in 1999 when she coached Purdue. Staley brought that story to light when South Carolina won the NCAA title in 2017. “I would have liked to continue to face the challenges in the NCAA Tournament,” she said.

Source: Fox News March 23, 2020 16:30 UTC