$12 million-worth Dawn Staley addresses criticism after losing NCAA title to Geno Auriemma’s UConn: “Our loss this year will somehow help us” 

Dawn Staley suffered one of the worst defeats of her illustrious coaching career last month, losing 82-59 to the UConn Huskies in the championship game of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. The South Carolina Gamecocks coach addressed the criticism hurled towards her following that loss in Thursday's episode of "The Breakfast Club."

Staley, who is worth $12 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, made a guest appearance on the radio show to promote her new book, "Uncommon Favor."

Staley shared that while writing the book, she discovered that she needed conflict in her life. That is what she got after the loss to UConn, with critics firing shots at her for South Carolina's poor performance in the title game.

"We lost to UConn this year. You know, the critics are saying I can't coach,” Staley said. “That's what they say but I'm like okay. But again, everything that I've needed in my life, you know, failure, success, happens to me."

(from 11:07 mark onwards)

Dawn Staley believes there is a silver lining to that loss and that her team would benefit from it in the future:

“It's uncommon but I know our loss this year will somehow help us. It will. I'm not just relying on it helping us. I'm going to put action to it so it means something.”

UConn dominates Dawn Staley's South Carolina in 2025 NCAA title game

Dawn Staley and South Carolina entered the 2025 NCAA title game against the UConn Huskies with momentum on their side. The Gamecocks had won 11 consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament and were one victory away from capturing back-to-back national championships.

Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks leaves the court after the loss to the UConn Huskies during the Division I Women's Basketball Championship game at Amalie Arena on April 6, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Photo: Getty

The Gamecocks knew it wasn't going to be easy, though, as they faced a Huskies team that was also firing on all cylinders. UConn reached the final with ease, beating its first five opponents in this year's March Madness by an average of 34.8 points.

The Huskies continued their dominance in the national championship game, beating the Gamecocks by 23 points to give Paige Bueckers the perfect farewell. UConn defeated South Carolina in every facet of the contest, leading in rebounding (40-36), assists (18-9), steals (8-6) and blocks (5-4).

Furthermore, UConn shot 48.4% from the field and 85.7% from the free-throw line in the final. South Carolina, on the other hand, shot 34.4% from the floor and only 72.2% from the charity stripe. The Huskies built a 36-26 advantage at the break and extended their lead to as many as 32 points in the second half.