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Knicks Star Reacts to Dawn Staley Rumor

One New York Knicks star reacted to a shocking rumor about the team's head coaching search.
Geoff Magliocchetti|
Mar 29, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts to a call during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts to a call during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns was on the prowl to react to one of the more unexpected rumors about the New York Knicks' coaching search.

On Saturday, Knicks Fan TV claimed that the Knicks, while still enamored with Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins in their search for Tom Thibodeau's successor, are set to expand their hunt to the college game. The rumor labeled University of South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley the Knicks' next target while engaging in a second round of interviews with Brown and Jenkins.

The idea of Staley crossing over to the men's game produced a variety of reactions, one of which caught the attention of Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns on X: when user "@JDabz87" posted a video of one of Staley's animated sideline reactions, claiming it would be her response to "KAT pick[ing] up his 3rd foul in the first quarter."

Towns took the jab in stride, posting a laughing emoji in quoting the post.

Staley is often regarded as one of the greatest and most accomplished names in the history of women's basketball, having dominated both and off the floor. She starred at the University of Virginia before embarking on an eight-year WNBA career with the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets.

Staley then moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia to lead Temple's women's program for eight seasons (coaching her first few seasons while her WNBA career was still active) before coming to Columbia in 2008.

USC has become a basketball powerhouse under Staley's watch, taking home three national championships over the last nine years (2017, 2022, 2024). Current Gamecocks and Staley pupils starring in the WNBA include Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao and A'ja Wilson.

The history behind Staley's potential hire requires little explanation: despite a number of assistant coaches popping up throughout the league (including former Madison Square Garden shooter Becky Hammon, who served as a longtime assistant in San Antonio before joining the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces), no woman has served as the head coach of an NBA franchise.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.

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