South Carolina's Dawn Staley discusses her passion for remaining in college basketball

Dawn Staley could easily be a coach in the WNBA, and there's a world in which she could likely have a chance at more money and "bigger" titles.

The college game is where it's at for the South Carolina women's basketball coach, though, and after she recently got a massive contract extension from the Gamecocks, her mission seems clearer than it's ever been.

That's not to say that Staley doesn't think about the WNBA, but for her, it's more about preparing her players to become pros than anything.

“I think the impact, for me, is more in line with what I’m passionate about, and that’s young people,” Staley said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio (h/t On3's Nick Schultz). “That’s sort of like protecting our league, the WNBA, to make sure that … whoever comes from South Carolina, is prepared to handle all of it — the good, the bad, the ugly."

Staley wants her players to understand what it means to be a starter, a bench player, a utility player or even someone who doesn't play at the next level, but still remain a professional ballplayer in preparation and in life.