Could the Gamecocks play next season on Dawn Staley Court at Colonial Life Arena? One state representative hopes so.
On Wednesday Rep. Marvin Pendarvis announced his intention to file a resolution encouraging the Board of Trustees to name the court at Colonial Life Arena after Dawn Staley. Pendarvis, who graduated from the University of South Carolina and University of South Carolina School of Law, represents the 113th District in Charleston and Dorchester counties.
If passed, Pendarvis’ resolution would not rename the court, it would merely indicate legislators’ desire for the Board of Trustees to act.
It is unclear whether the University would consider acting, for multiple reasons. The university has strict guidelines for retiring jerseys (the university no longer retires numbers), and they apply to coaches as well as players. The requirements for retiring a coach’s jersey are:
"Factors considered are the overall career win record, career win record at the University, length of tenure at the University, and one or more of the following: A Conference championship win(s), NCAA national championship win(s), Coach for NCAA national championship record holder(s), and Iconic status within the South Carolina University community and with the general public."
Staley appears to meet those requirements. However, athletes must wait five years from their final season of collegiate competition. There is no specific requirement for coaches.
The legislature is hesitant to name roads or buildings after living people. Several bills have been proposed to ban the practice, the result of a series of embarrassing incidents where namesakes were later found guilty of corruption.
This is not the first effort to name a part of campus after Staley. Last summer a change.org petition was started to rename the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center after Staley. That petition currently has over 3,500 signatures. Several high profile former Gamecocks athletes, including A’ja Wilson, Marcus Lattimore, and Alshon Jeffrey voiced their support.
Renaming the center would require the approval of the state legislature.
Two street sections, one in Philadelphia where she grew up and one in front of Colonial Life Arena, are named “Dawn Staley Way,” but those are honorary names, not official street names.
Given Staley’s career trajectory, it seems likely that some day she will have a building (or court) named after her or a statue next to A’ja Wilson’s. The question becomes how long South Carolina makes her wait.
