This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/knicks as Dawn Staley Opens Up About Knicks HC Interview. The New York Knicks are moving forward with Mike Brown as their head coach, but they nearly made South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley their successor for Tom Thibodeau.

South Carolina is entering the 2025-26 season as the national champion runner-up and the No. 2 team in the nation, but the Gamecocks are having to adjust after losing star forward Chloe Kitts to a torn ACL. Although it is a significant loss, coach Dawn Staley said the team still feels confident moving forward without her.