Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey Headline 2022 Naismith Women's COY Finalists

And then there were only four in the race to win the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Award for 2021-22.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Monday that North Carolina State's Wes Moore, LSU's Kim Mulkey, South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer are the four finalists.

Staley is arguably the most deserving candidate.

South Carolina is 31-2, no mean feat given the Gamecocks' schedule included matchups against NC State, Connecticut, Stanford, Maryland and Stanford before getting to the SEC slate.

Staley's squad further asserted its dominance to open the NCAA tournament as it held Howard and Miami to 54 combined points. The Bison mustered just four first-half points in the first round.

There's no question Staley has a talented squad, one headlined by Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston. Her coaching has taken the team to another level.

Moore would be the only first-time winner. Staley (2019-20) and Mulkey (2011-12) have been honored once before, while VanDerveer picked up her third last year.

Kellie Harper struggled to keep North Carolina State at the level the program enjoyed under Kay Yow. Under Moore, the Wolfpack have become nationally relevant once again. They've reached the Sweet 16 in each of their last three NCAA tournament trips, and they can punch their ticket to a fourth straight regional semifinal with a win over Kansas State on Monday.

At LSU, Mulkey has had an immediate impact, which is exactly what athletic director Scott Woodward expected when he poached the legendary coach from Baylor.

After going 9-13 last season, the Tigers posted a 25-5 record in the regular season and claimed a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. Like NC State, LSU can play its way into the Sweet 16 on Monday.

VanDerveer already has Stanford there as the Cardinal defeated Kansas 91-65 in the second round on Sunday. The defending national champions improved to 30-3 and earned their 22nd win a row. 

VanDerveer had to wait nearly 30 years between her second and third national championships. The wait between her third and fourth could be far shorter than that this spring.