USC picks Staley as new women's coach

Dawn Staley will be introduced as South Carolina's women's basketball coach on Saturday, pending approval of the University of South Carolina board of trustees earlier that day, sources confirmed early Wednesday.

Staley visited the USC campus last week and USC athletics director Eric Hyman spent most of Saturday with his prospective coach in Philadelphia. The two reached a contract agreement late Tuesday.

Staley, currently the head coach at Temple, will earn a base salary of $250,000 with the total package reaching $650,000, according to the source. She earned $500,000 this past season at Temple.

The proposed contract also includes a clause that USC will assist Staley in paying a buyout clause in her contract with Temple.

The 38-year-old Staley is the winningest coach in Temple history with a record of 172-80. She has led the Owls to the NCAA tournament in six of her eight seasons while winning four Atlantic Ten titles.

Staley is a native of Philadelphia who played point guard at Virginia from 1989-92 and was a WNBA All-Star. She has deep roots in Philadelphia, where she was a prep star and maintains a charitable foundation.

But Staley also has ties to South Carolina. Her mother is from the state and Staley has cousins who went to school in North.

Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is an assistant for the U.S. team that will play in the Beijing Olympics this summer. She is considered a leading candidate to be the head coach of the U.S. squad in the 2012 Olympics.

- Staff writer Joseph Person contributed to this report.