Dawn Staley adds Susan Walvius, former South Carolina coach, to Gamecocks staff
Dawn Staley made an addition to her support staff this month. It’s a familiar face to die-hard South Carolina women’s basketball fans.
Susan Walvius has been hired as the program’s senior director of women’s basketball external affairs. She started in the role on Nov. 3.
The former Gamecocks head coach, who is now co-founder and co-CEO of SHEEX Inc., “will play a lead role in revenue generation for the women’s basketball program and its student-athletes,” according to her new USC bio.
Walvius touts a nearly 20-year career as a head coach in college women’s basketball. Her last stop was at South Carolina, where she led the Gamecocks to two NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure from 1997 to 2008.
Walvius’ final year at South Carolina was the 2007-08 season. Staley started her tenure at South Carolina the following season.
“This is a full circle moment for Susan and our program,” Staley is quoted as saying in Walvius’ bio. “She is going to be critical to our constantly evolving approach to NIL with her track record of innovative thinking in the business world. Starting with her connections to our program, the Columbia community and businesses nationally, Susan is well-positioned to lead the expansion of NIL opportunities for our student-athletes.”
In her 11 seasons at South Carolina, Walvius posted a 165-60 record. She guided the Gamecocks to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. Walvius’ best year at South Carolina came in the 2001-02 season where the Gamecocks won 25 games, reached No. 7 in the AP Poll and made it to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Prior to South Carolina Walvius was the head coach at VCU (1990-1995) and West Virginia (1995-1997). Walvius earned All-Metro Conference and All-American honors during her playing days at Virginia Tech.
South Carolina was Walvius’ last stop in the coaching world. In 2008, she co-founded SHEEX — which is described as a “performance fabric bedding and sleepwear line” — alongside former USC assistant and current Arizona WBB General Manager Michelle M. Marciniak.
Walvius wore many hats with the start-up, including working in operations, marketing and growth initiatives, and is credited with helping build SHEEX into an “eight-figure revenue” company during her time.
“Her CEO experience and proven marketing ability are assets as she develops a comprehensive strategy to maximize NIL opportunities, establishes an equitable revenue-sharing model and analyzes NIL trends to identify new pathways,” Walvius’ bio says. “Her basketball background establishes easy connection to student-athletes as she works with them on building their personal brands and conducts workshops on topics such as financial literacy, contract negotiation and brand management.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 9:13 AM.
