Dawn Staley on significance of statue in Columbia where Confederate flag once stood: ‘Bigger than basketball'

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

In recognition of her commitment to the South Carolina Gamecocks’ women’s basketball team as well as the community, head coach Dawn Staley is being honored by the city of Columbia with a statue to be erected downtown, where a Confederate flag once stood for decades.

Staley, making an appearance on ESPN’s "College GameDay," discussed the significance of the honor and noted that the statue of one of her best players, A’ja Wilson, already stands in the city.

"I wanted A’Ja Wilson to be the only USC athlete to be bestowed that honor," Staley said before her Gamecocks’ contest against Georgia on Sunday. "It’s bigger than basketball, obviously. It’s something that the city of Columbia wanted. It wasn’t anything I politicked for. They wanted to bring it, they wanted to represent."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley (Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)

"Our city’s diverse, our state is diverse. It’s awesome because there’s not very many women, let alone Black women, get bestowed … this honor."

The city worked with Statues for Equality, an organization that aims to increase the number of women receiving honors for their contributions to their communities.

SEC HITS SOUTH CAROLINA BASKETBALL WITH HEFTY FINE AFTER FANS STORM COURT FOLLOWING UPSET WIN OVER KENTUCKY

As someone with parents who were from South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia, Staley said she knows her mother would be "super proud."

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said her mother would be "super proud." (Tim Cowie/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

"I think it’s an incredible that I probably don’t know its significance as we