As the WNBA approaches its 20th season, one of its all-time great players continues to change the game.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley leads the Gamecocks into their second straight NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed, seeking their second straight Final Four appearance — and more.

Seventeen years ago, Staley entered the WNBA in its third season after playing professionally in Tarbes, Italy, Brazil, Spain and the American Basketball League. Her career resume includes three Olympic gold medals and six WNBA All-Star appearances.

Now, she’s being mentioned in the same sentence as Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma as the next great women’s basketball coach.

From USA Today‘s Dan Wolken:

In her eighth season as South Carolina’s head coach, Staley has built not only the pre-eminent program in the Southeastern Conference but positioned herself to become arguably the new face of women’s college basketball at a time when the sport’s longtime giants are either gone or on the back end of their careers.

…

“Pat Summitt really transcended women’s basketball to bring in the casual male fan, fans of other sports,” said former college and WNBA coach Nell Fortner, who coached Staley on the 2000 Olympic team. “People were mesmerized by Pat. Our sport misses that, and we need it. For her to become that would be absolutely outstanding.”

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Take a look back at the career that led Staley to the Naismith Hall of Fame back in 2013: