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By basketball standards, it has been hard for the 5-6 Dawn Staley to measure up.
She was always told she was too short, too little, too slow. But the more she was told she couldn't, the more determined she became.
"I grew up in the projects of North Philly," Staley says, "and the mentality of growing up there has helped me to maintain a certain level of aggressiveness, mental and physical toughness."
Staley, 36, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a five-time WNBA All-Star and made three Final Four appearances at the University of Virginia, where she was two-time NCAA player of the year.
"People look at the point guard position and refer everything off of Dawn Staley, because of her leadership," says Hall of Famer Ann Meyers. "Players are told all the time they can't do something because of their size, but Dawn is the perfect example of what you can accomplish. Playing with the guys out on the playground and at her size, people are telling her, 'You can't, you can't, you can't.'"
Staley did, and did it in such a way that when she walked away from basketball as a player in August, she left an indelible mark on the game.
"What makes Dawn better is she makes people around her better and want to play better," says Lisa Leslie, Staley's Olympic teammate in 1996, 2000 and 2004. "Just her ability to take over a game. She is just 5-6, but has the heart of a 7-footer."
Sheryl Swoopes, who alongside Leslie and Staley, formed the core of the U.S. women's team that won three Olympic gold medals, says Staley is a natural leader.
"She is a leader without talking about it," Swoopes said. "When you see Dawn, and not just her demeanor on the court, but also away from it, there is something that she automatically does to you as a player and as a person that makes you want to play with her."
Staley says her mental toughness comes from the people who doubted her as a youngster and throughout her career. She didn't have to go far to find a naysayer.
"My sister (Tracey Underwood) used to see the college championship played on TV and would say to me, 'You can't play on that level, those girls are too tough for you,'" Staley recalls. "But at the same time I'm thinking, 'Whatever. I'll be there one of those days.'"
Debbie Ryan, Staley's coach at Virginia, disagreed with Staley's sister.
"When Dawn was teeny tiny playing in the eighth grade, you could see she was something very special to the game from the minute you saw her play," Ryan says. "She was a very insightful player who understood the game. She exudes team play all the time, on the court and off the court."
Natural leader
The diminutive Philly kid is now using her basketball knowledge to make her mark in the coaching community.
After leading Temple to four NCAA tournament berths, she was named an assistant on the 2006 USA women's world championship team. The two-time Atlantic 10 coach of the year hopes to be an assistant on the 2008 Olympic team and possibly the head coach at the 2012 Games. And there could be a WNBA head coaching position in her future.
Staley approaches coaching the same way she handled her business on the court -- directly.
"You have to let people be themselves, but you also have to not shy away from what's right," Staley says. "I'm a firm believer that if it's the right thing, it should be voiced."
Says Leslie, demonstrating how forceful Staley can be: "She may not score a point, but her presence and her leadership ... she'll get the ball and cup it under her arm in a minute, put her hand up and say 'Set it up.'"
Ryan recalled telling Staley before one game that Virginia would need a lot of points from her to win.
"She said, 'You're not going to need points from me tonight because I'm going to get the ball to where it needs to go.' She just always understood that everyone had to be a part."
Four-time WNBA champion Van Chancellor, who coached Staley in the 2004 Olympics and for 11/2 years with the Houston Comets, says coaching comes easy to someone like Staley.
"How hard she works, how dedicated she is, how much she believes in herself and her team; all the intangibles you talk about in athletics is Dawn Staley," Chancellor says. "Combine that with a player with great abilities and instinct for the game, and you've got a wonderful person to coach.
"Some people just have a mind-set of 'I will not be defeated, I will not take no for an answer.' ... Dawn Staley is one of those."
Leading by example
Staley's impact on the women's game hasn't been limited to the basketball court. She has made a difference through her foundation.
Beginning next season, the WNBA's annual community award will be named the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award.
"She is the face of women's basketball right now because of her big heart," says Cynthia Cooper, the four-time WNBA champion and currently women's basketball coach at Prairie View A&M University. "She constantly gives back to the community. I think her heart comes from her parents, her background and the trials and tribulations she had not only growing up, but excelling at basketball."
The Dawn Staley Foundation at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center in Philadelphia focuses on academics and athletics and provides middle-school children with positive influences in their lives.
Staley's background and world travels prompted her to start the foundation and are what helps her recruit and relate to players from all backgrounds.
Olympian Sue Bird has been on the receiving end of Staley's generosity.
"She has been unbelievable in terms of the impact she has had on me and my career," says Bird, the four-time WNBA All-Star mentored by Staley to become the starting point guard for the 2008 U.S. women's Olympic team. "I got to play with her internationally. She was always in my ear."
When Staley needed support, she said Leslie was there for her.
"It's very important to have somebody in your corner, good times, bad times, when times are just OK," Staley says. "She wanted to be the best in the world. I wanted to be the best at my position. We helped each other."
Meyers, general manger of the Phoenix Mercury, says you can't talk about Leslie or Staley without mentioning them both. "It's like (Jerry) West and (Wilt) Chamberlain, (Bill) Russell and K.C. Jones, (John) Stockton and (Karl) Malone," Meyers says.
Swoopes is still holding out hope of talking Staley into another Olympic gold medal run on the court.
"I'm trying to get her to come back. We (U.S. women's team) still need another point guard," Swoopes says.
But as always, Staley is deciding who gets the last shot. "I left on my terms," Staley said. "I'm done playing."
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