Winston Gandy has resigned as Duke women’s basketball’s associate head coach with the expectation he will join Dawn Staley’s staff at South Carolina.
A Duke spokesperson confirmed Thursday morning that Gandy has given notice of his departure and that Duke head coach Kara Lawson is “politely declining to comment further” on her top aide’s move.
He is expected to fill a void at South Carolina left by Fred Chmiel, according to sources with knowledge of Gandy’s plans. Bowling Green State hired Chmiel as its new head women’s basketball coach Saturday.
Gandy’s decision comes after Duke guard Celeste Taylor, the ACC’s defensive player of the year and Duke’s leading scorer, announced Wednesday night she was entering the NCAA’s transfer portal. The 5-foot-11 Taylor, a first-team all-ACC selection last season, averaged 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Blue Devils (26-7).
Having played her first two college seasons at Texas before transferring to Duke for the last two seasons, Taylor announced on March 27 would use her fifth season of eligibility provided by COVID-19 pandemic rules to play at Duke.
“I wouldn’t want to spend my final years of college basketball anywhere else,” said Taylor in a social media video that has since been taken down. “I believe I am not quite done yet. I will be playing my final year of college basketball at Duke University.”
That changed this week amid Gandy’s decision to leave Duke. Lawson had no comment on Taylor’s announcement, Duke team spokesman Jalen Manning said Wednesday night.
Taylor joined another Duke starting guard, Shayeann Day-Wilson, by entering the transfer portal. The 5-6 Day-Wilson averaged 8.1 points and 2.5 assists as a sophomore for the Blue Devils last season. She is reportedly planning to visit USC.
It wasn’t immediately known when South Carolina would announce Gandy’s hire.
Chmiel had previously spent eight years on Staley’s staff as an assistant and worked with her at Temple earlier in his career, too. Chmiel was making $300,000 annually on his last USC contract.
USC enters the offseason with plenty of transfer portal flexibility. The Gamecocks rostered 14 scholarship players (one below the maximum) in 2022-23 but lost seven seniors from their 36-1 team, including five to the WNBA Draft. Even with three incoming freshmen, South Carolina has four open spots giving Staley plenty of room to add Taylor and Wilson.
A 2013 Maryland graduate where he was a practice scout team player working with the women’s basketball team, Gandy coached three seasons at Duke. Initially hired as an assistant coach in 2020, he was promoted to associate head coach last July.
Prior to Duke, Gandy coached three seasons at Rice. The Owls posted 20-win seasons all three of those seasons.
He began his coaching career in 2013-14 as director of women’s basketball recruiting operations at Maryland. Gandy left for the NBA in 2014, working with the Washington Wizards for two seasons as coordinator of player development and one season as an assistant coach.
The State’s Chapel Fowler contributed reporting to this story.
