South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said she supports transgender women participating in women’s sports when asked about her stance on the matter during a news conference Saturday.

“I’m on the opinion of, if you’re a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion,” said Staley, whose Gamecocks will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship on Sunday.

“The barnstormer people are going to flood my timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game, and I’m OK with that. I really am,” Staley added.

Dawn Staley responded to a question asking if she supports transgender women playing women’s college basketball.

“If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play.”

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South Carolina boasts a perfect 38-0 record and is vying for its third national title. Under Staley, the Gamecocks previously cut down the nets in 2017 and 2022. Her coaching resume also features eight SEC tournament championships, eight regular-season conference titles, a 2020 Olympic gold medal and four Naismith Coach of the Year awards. As a player, she’s a Hall of Famer, three-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time national player of the year at Virginia.

Staley has been vocal in supporting multiple causes and pushing for change throughout her coaching career, including advocating for fair and equal pay, keeping the spotlight on WNBA star Brittney Griner, whom she coached on Team USA and was imprisoned in Russia for months, and standing by her players who chose to protest by sitting during the national anthem to “shine a light on” racism, racial inequality and social injustice in 2021.

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Iowa coach Lisa Bluder was also asked about her thoughts on transgender women competing in women’s sports during a Saturday news conference but declined to answer.

“I understand it’s a topic that people are interested in. But today my focus is on the game tomorrow, my players. It’s an important game we have tomorrow, and that’s what I want to be here to talk about,” she said. “But I know it’s an important issue for another time.”

The questions posed to Staley and Bluder come after 16 athletes filed a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging the organization’s transgender participation policy “serially violated Title IX in 2022” when it allowed Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who was a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s women’s swim team, to compete in the NCAA swimming championships.

The NCAA, in a statement, pushed back on the assertion that it had violated Title IX, the federal law that has led to more opportunities for women in sports. “College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships,” the NCAA said.

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(Photo: Mike Lawrie / Getty Images)