By Staley's fifth season, 2004-05, Temple had reached big-time status with its first appearance in the weekly Associated Press poll.

At South Carolina, which announced yesterday that Staley would be its new coach, it may take longer to gain similar acclaim. But the experience will be something she has always sought - the chance to coach against the superpowers of the Southeastern Conference.

In going up against Tennessee, the two-time defending NCAA champion, as well as Louisiana State, Georgia and Vanderbilt, Staley will face a daunting task as she tries to elevate the Gamecocks, who were 15-15 last season and 4-10 in the SEC, where they finished 11th.

But Staley, 38, is familiar with several of those teams' coaches, particularly Hall of Famer Pat Summitt of Tennessee.

Staley has faced Summitt as an all-American player at Virginia and a coach at Temple.

"She's had success as a player and success as a coach now," Summitt said yesterday. "I think Dawn will bring a great deal of knowledge just from her experiences."

Staley coached two of Summitt's players - Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike - when she guided the United States to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in July 2007.

Both players told Summitt they had been impressed with Staley.

"They really talked about her commitment to the defensive aspect of the game," Summitt said.

Staley will also go against a former coach of hers, LSU's Van Chancellor.

Chancellor coached Staley with the WNBA's Houston Comets, before her retirement after the 2006 season. He also coached her with the U.S. Olympic gold-medal team in 2004, in Athens, Greece.

"It's great to see another young, talented coach come into the conference," said Chancellor, who led the Tigers to the NCAA Women's Final Four last month in his first season back in the collegiate ranks.

"It will be a thrill to go against one of my former players," he said. "She thinks she can outcoach me. We'll see."

"Playing for Dawn Staley at South Carolina could even be more enticing for these players," he said. "The cupboard is not bare there in Columbia, either."

One of the players recruited by the previous coach, Susan Walvius, and assistant coach Michelle Marciniak, the former Tennessee star from Allentown, is Becky Burke, an incoming freshman from Clarks Summit, Pa., who was the 2007-08 state Class AAA player of the year.

Flynn ranked the Gamecocks' recruiting class seventh in the nation.

Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw has declined to comment on Staley's departure, saying the deal won't be sealed until the South Carolina board of regents approves it Saturday morning.

But, considering the annual attempts high-profile schools had made to lure Staley, he recently expressed satisfication with Temple's ability to retain her.