'If you're a woman, you should play': NCAA champion coach Dawn Staley says transgender athletes should play against women

NCAA women's basketball champion coach Dawn Staley said that she believed that if a person considers himself to be a woman, then he should be able to play against biological women in basketball.

Just days before winning the national championship against an iconic Iowa team, South Carolina coach Staley was asked by a reporter if she believed that men who identify as women should be allowed to play in women's basketball.

"You just talked about what a massive weekend this is for women's basketball, women's sports in general; one of the major issues facing women's sports is the debate/discussion topic about transgender athletes, biological males in women's sports," said Outkick's Dan Zaksheske.

"I was wondering if you could tell me your position on that issue."

"Damn, you got deep on me, didn't you?" Staley began. After a pregnant pause, the coach stated, "I'm on the opinion of, if you're a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play. That's my opinion."

"You want me to go deeper?" Staley asked the reporter.

"Do you think transgender women should be able to participate?" Zaksheske specified.

"That's the question you want to ask? I'll give you that. Yes, yes. So, now the barnstorm of people are going to flood my timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game, and I'm okay with that. I really am."

Clearly, the added controversy of Staley's comments did not get to her team, as South Carolina won the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship by a convincing 87-75.

Many viewers who disagree ideologically with the coach stated they would have been fine with her avoiding the question all together, given the timing.

"Actually would have been totally ok with her declining to answer at that moment," said NBA player Jonathan Isaac. "Yes this is an important topic and issue but this will most definitely derail the focus of her team and organization to some degree and magnified by a billion if her answer was 'no.' You can tell she has the weight of the world on her shoulders as she’s processing. It’s unfortunate but here we are. Tough spot to be in for anyone. Regardless of beliefs," the Orlando Magic player added.

"Any healthy person would conclude men shouldn't be playing women's sports, but at the same time, there's a time and a place to ask these types of questions," sports analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. told Blaze News.

"We can't say Obama divided the country while asking women's coaches questions regarding gender while the sport is at its peak," he added.

Staley is a highly decorated basketball coach, having played at the college level for the University of Virginia as well as in the WNBA from 1999-2006.

Along with coaching for more than 15 years in the NCAA, the 53-year-old won gold as the coach of the women's USA basketball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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