Multiple News Outlets Claim Dawn Staley Would Be The Best Fit For The Charlotte Hornets' Coaching Vacancy

Multiple news outlets have suggested that the Charlotte Hornets should hire South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley as their next head coach.

The NBA franchise is indeed looking for a new skipper after Steve Clifford announced he’ll be stepping down at the conclusion of the season. Charlotte is now in the search for a coach that can maximize the roster full of young talent.

Several reporters have taken this opportunity to market Staley as the best fit for the Hornets.

Scott Fowler of "The Charlotte Observer" wrote a column in which he said - or rather, implored - the Hornets to hire Staley. He believes her knowledge of basketball and willingness to take on challenges would make her a perfect fit.

Multiple news outlets think that Dawn Stalwy would be a great fit for the Charlotte Hornets head coach vacancy. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

"This is all a long shot. I get it. But contracts can be bought out, Staley has always thrived on impossible-sounding challenges and it’s an option that should at least be explored by the Hornets," Fowler said. "Staley, 53, is tough, smart and knows basketball inside and out, as both a world-class, gold-medal point guard and a coach who understands how to manage big stars."

Fowler isn’t the only one clamoring for Charlotte to go this route. The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn also supported the idea and implied that anyone who wasn’t on board with it was a sexist.

"They should seriously consider hiring Dawn Staley, if she’s interested in leaving South Carolina," Washburn said. "There’s no reason why the Hornets shouldn’t pursue Staley, unless you consider her gender a detriment."

Despite the many people who would love for this to happen, Staley herself has said in the past that she has no interest in coaching at the pro level.

Dawn Staley Wouldn't Do Well Coaching An NBA Team

I can see why the argument is there for Staley. She has achieved so much in her playing career and coaching career, and she is one of the best minds at the collegiate level.

She’s also a flaming social justice warrior who also thinks biological men should be allowed to play in women’s sports. In a league as woke as the NBA, she’d be hailed as a hero for being a champion of progressive values. 

But if this hypothetical became a reality, it would only yield problems.

At the risk of sounding sexist, I don’t think a team of self-important, egotistical alpha males would respond well to Staley because of - dare I say it - her gender. I don't think players would respond well to her presence for  along period of time, and I think that would significantly hinder her ability to guide an NBA team to success.

Dawn Staley would likely have a hard time in the NBA if she made it that far. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

To add some perspective to this part of my argument, look at how Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby explained why he wanted Antonio Pierce to be the next coach for his stumbling franchise:

"Me and him have that — you know when you’re around another alpha dog? You know when they walk in the room. So me and him immediately knew we showed each other respect. Coach was always testing me … he knows how to get under my skin and I know how to get under his skin, and he knows how to get the best out of me."

Elite athletes want to know they can respect the person leading them and that they share the same mindset and goals. That trust is built when players and coaches are the same gender. There are intangible aspects of the male coach-male player relationship that Staley wouldn't be able to provide because she is not a man.

Furthermore, the NBA game is a massive step above the level of competition in women’s college basketball, and that alone could present challenges she probably isn’t qualified to handle. How many times have we seen college coaches on the men's side (John Beilein, Rick Pitino, John Calipari) flop once they got to the NBA? If those brilliant men's coaches couldn't succeed in the pros, why would we think Staley would be an exception?

In all fairness, this scenario likely won’t pan out. Staley has too good of a situation at South Carolina for her to reasonably want to leave, especially for a struggling team like the Hornets.

But that doesn’t mean the media won’t try to make it happen. After all, she is a hero among progressive news outlets.