South Carolina's dominance is well beyond the court. While the No. 2-ranked Gamecocks chase another title, coach Dawn Staley has made a key strategic move behind the scenes.

The Gamecocks now stand at 19-1, and under Dawn Staley's leadership, the program has built a reputation not just for on-court excellence but for staying ahead of it.

Dawn Staley added a familiar face to the South Carolina women's basketball program in November. Susan Walvius, who coached SC from 1997 to 2008. And also helped get a 165-60 record.

She returned to Columbia with a brand-new title: senior director of women's basketball external affairs. 

Walvius left coaching after her time with South Carolina ended, but she never stopped building. 

In 2008, she co-founded SHEEX alongside former USC Ast. Michelle Marciniak. And Michelle serves as Arizona women's basketball general manager now. 

Back in November, during the Players Era- Championship Dawn Staley said, "Susan is a successful businesswoman who created a corporation from the ground up that's still thriving in this space, in this climate."

She also added, "We like that. In this climate, you have to be business-minded. You have to think a little bit outside the box and be innovative and create positions that will help in the NIL space, that will help our players who are coming into a lot of money, that they need some direction. I think Susan was the best person for the job."

But that's not it, she brings more than just business. Her basketball IQ gives her instant credibility with players. Her CEO experience positions her to help student-athletes with other management through workshops and one-on-one mentorship.

From Elite Eight to NIL Elite

Her contract was signed Oct. 21, 2025. On Oct. 31, kicked off right with the Gamecocks' Nov. 3 season opener. That one-year deal pack was a $200,000 base salary.

This positioned her as one of Dawn Staley's top-earning support staffers. With only director of operations Ariana Moore slightly ahead at $205,875. 

But here's the real loop. Publicly, she's "senior director of women’s basketball external affairs," but her contract nails it as "NIL Operations Coordinator for Women’s Basketball". That NIL focus task of hers is to make such strategies to max out NIL deals. And also building fair revenue shares.

As her bio spells it out, she's running workshops on financial literacy, contract talks, and brand-building, leveraging her CEO chops from co-founding SHEEX into an eight-figure powerhouse.

And if one goes back to  2002,  Walvius claimed a five-year, $1M+ extension after a 25-win Elite Eight run. During that time her base jumped from 43% to $150K. Now, she's trading playbooks for profit plans. 

In an era where athletes rake in big bucks, Walvius bridges hoops and hustles, prepping Gamecocks for CEO-level futures.

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu