‘Shattering The Glass’ highlights Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s impact on women’s basketball

COLUMBIA, SC — This weekend, authors Susan Shackelford and Pamela Grundy celebrated their book “Shattering The Glass, The Remarkable Story of Women’s Basketball”, during an author event at All Good Books.

The latest edition has a portion dedicated to Dawn Staley and the work she, and the University of South Carolina, has done to grow the game of women’s basketball.

In the 20 years since the first edition of the book was first published

, a lot has changed in women’s basketball for the better.

According to Grundy, Staley’s hall of fame career, and the success of the Gamecocks, being one of them.

“Dawn Staley has built, Columbia has built, the Gamecocks have built that team into the most powerful team in the country,” Grundy said. “Into a team that is deeply rooted in the area.”

Grundy, a historian says Staley’s community first mentality in building her program has led to it’s success.

Shackelford agrees.

“Her first top recruits were from South Carolina that became the foundation of the house,” Shackelford said. “Then she just built it up and she continues to pull mainly from South Carolina.”

Their book also focuses on Gamecock greats like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston. Plus, how the new generation of women’s athletes, both on and off the court, have fueled the sports growth.

“Recently there’s really been an opening up that has allowed different players to be themselves,” Grundy said. “I think that’s tremendously appealing too because they are who they are.”

Shackelford emphasized how that plays into what South Carolina has built.

“The skill level is very high. The interaction with fans is high, they are interested in growing the game they’re interested in the fans and I think all this is resonating,” Shackelford said. “When you merge that with Staley’s concept of community and building on the shoulders of people who came before her building on the shoulders of people who live here, it’s just a big giant success.”

From the first ladies to step on the court, to Title XI, to modern day, this book tells the story of women’s basketball but mostly the story of women’s history and ongoing fight for equality.

“This is the story of women’s working to achieve being excited, wanting to play full roles in our society and all the different kinds of obstacles that they had to overcome over a century to be able to do that,” Grundy said.

You can purchase copies of the book at All Good Books in Columbia, or online on Amazon.