Dawn Staley and South Carolina women's basketball will have to replace an assistant coach for the second time in three years.
Assistant Winston Gandy officially accepted the head coching job at Grand Canyon University on Monday, meaning he will depart the program after just two seasons. Gandy arrived from Duke after replacing former assistant Fred Chmiel when he accepted the head coaching job at Bowling Green. Gandy helped the Gamecocks win a National Championshp last season with a 38-0 record, and South Carolina is in the Sweet 16 again this year.
"I'm beyond honored and absolutely thrilled to be the head coach at Grand Canyon University," Gandy said in a statement through GCU. "Grand Canyon is a truly special place, and we all will continue to show the world exactly what we're about."
The release did confirm that after being introduced on Monday morning, Gandy will fly back to Columbia and continue tournament preparations with the Gamecocks.
"I've seen firsthand his incredible work ethic, recruiting talent and passion for the game," Staley said in a statement. "Winston is one of the hardest workers in our sport, and he's a true student of the game. More importantly, he genuinely cares about our players and builds real relationships on and off the court."
South Carolina will travel to Birmingham on Wednesday for its practice day on Thursday before resuming its NCAA Tournament run on Friday against either Alabama or Maryland.
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