As they often are, Debbie Ryan and Dawn Staley were in communication early Friday morning.
Ryan, the legendary former University of Virginia women’s basketball coach, and Staley, the legendary former UVA player, have a bond going back decades. Ryan has seen Staley grow from a shy teenager out of North Philadelphia to the person Ryan now calls “the face of women’s basketball.”
“She’s just an icon,” Ryan said. “It’s amazing to me.”
Staley, the University of South Carolina’s coach since 2008, entered the weekend with a chance to win her third NCAA championship in seven seasons. Ryan’s message to Staley on Friday, ahead of South Carolina’s game against North Carolina State University in the national semifinals, came from a place of immense pride.