Diversity celebrated at Final Four
South Carolina’s Staley and Arizona’s Barnes mark historic representation.
SAN ANTONIO — South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and Arizona’s Adia Barnes will make history Friday night when their teams tip off in their national semifinals.
The other two coaches in the Final Four couldn’t be happier for them, or the future of women’s basketball.
“They’ve paid their dues, and they’re tremendous role models for all the women in the game, but maybe especially the women of color in our game,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said Thursday. “To see two women in the Final Four, you know Black women, it’s fantastic.”
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said Barnes and Staley are just the tip of the iceberg as players start coaching and put their spin on the game.
Barnes and Staley are two of only 13 Black women who coached in Power Five conferences this season.
While there is more work to be done to address the diversity deficiency, legendary Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer told Staley and Barnes she was proud of them, writing in a card that she had dreamed of this day. Staley shared the note on Instagram. Barnes called the gesture from Stringer meaningful and touching.
“She’s one of the first that put Black female coaches on the map and she’s done so many things, one of the most successful in the business,” Barnes said. “So to receive something like that from her means a lot to me.”
Carolyn Peck became the first Black woman coach to win a national title in 1999 with Purdue, and Staley won a title in 2017.
Stringer coached in the first NCAA national championship game in 1982 and led two other teams to the Final Four.
Pokey Chatman coached Louisiana State in back-toback berths in 2005 and 2006.
In one semifinal Friday, the UConn-Arizona game features Paige Bueckers and Aari McDonald, two of the most dynamic scorers in the country.
The Huskies won the River Walk region and ride into their 13th consecutive Final Four as Bueckers this week became the first freshman to win the Associated Press national player of the year award.
McDonald is the Pac-12 player of the year and has the Wildcats on level ground with the Huskies for at least one more day.
Arizona won the Mercado region as a No. 3 seed. McDonald has scored at least 31 points in each of the Wildcats’ previous two games.
“Nobody thinks we can win. We’re the underdogs. We’re going to play loose and free,” McDonald said.
The UConn-Arizona winner advances to Sunday’s final against the winner of Friday’s other semifinal matchup between Stanford and South Carolina.
That matchup features a former Olympic team coach and her star player. VanDerveer said she has the utmost respect for her former national team point guard.
“As a player, [Staley] saw the game so well she really has great instincts, a great understanding of the game,” VanDerveer said. “In law, politics, she has it, she’s a very special person. I cheer for her every game except for the game tomorrow.”