‘I don’t want to coach in the men’s game:’ Staley asked about interest in Temple job

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Temple University men’s basketball had a coaching vacancy last month, and the idea of Dawn Staley as the next head coach of the Owls has a certain allure to it.

That allure doesn’t reach Staley though.

The South Carolina head women’s basketball coach was asked about her thoughts on her name being suggested for the position. Her answer left no room for misunderstanding.

“No thoughts,” Staley said. “I don’t want to coach in the men’s game.”

Former Temple men’s basketball player Aaron McKie stepped down as the program’s head men’s coach, earlier this month. His departure drew the natural conversation of who could be next and given Staley’s ties to Philadelphia, along with her groundbreaking success at South Carolina, put her name at the top of the list for plenty of pundits.

The move would make Staley the first-ever female coach to lead a college men’s program but other than the potential to break down a barrier, the job provides very few clear advantages over her current position.

Staley is the highest-paid college women’s basketball coach at more than $3 million a year. A number Temple is unlikely to be able to match.

This is not the first time Staley’s name has come up as a candidate for a head coaching job with a men’s team. In 2021 she confirmed she had conversations with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers as well.

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