COLUMBIA — Back on American soil after two weeks at the Paris Olympics, Dawn Staley took a moment to pause and embrace a commemoration of her career, but more importantly, raise money for future students.

The University of South Carolina hosted its third annual "A Celebration of Dawn Staley" on Tuesday night at the Pastides Alumni Center, to honor all the work the South Carolina women's basketball coach does on and off the court.

The fundraising event is in partnership with the Dawn Staley Champions Fund, which was created to fund scholarships for first-generation, economically disadvantaged, underrepresented students, and student-athletes at South Carolina. Nearly 15 different companies sponsored the event, and all proceeds went directly to Staley's scholarship fund.

The event was headlined by a conversation between Staley and "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, who flew to Columbia after "GMA" on Tuesday, and caught a flight immediately afterwards for her 3:30 a.m. wake-up call for Wednesday's show.

Roberts, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, has known Staley from the time she was the national high school player of the year. And Roberts said she covered Staley when she was at player at Virginia, when Roberts was early in her career as a sports anchor in the South.

The two both donned garnet pants, a nod to South Carolina's colors, and the 30-minute conversation touched on basketball, Staley's coaching history, the Gamecocks' three national titles, and why fundraising is so important to Staley.

"When people get into college, sometimes it's not enough but they don't know where to turn," Staley said. "It's something my mother would have done, she would clear her bank account to help someone out. You hear stories that are so heartfelt, you can relate to them. When young people get scholarships and they become successful, they'll reach back out, they'll give it back. I don't attach my name to many things but I'm a first generation college student who got a full scholarship ... I want to be part of helping students, I want their names to be attached too. I want their legacy to be a part of these scholarships."

Ebony Christie, a South Carolina student and scholarship winner, shared her experience with Staley's foundation.

"The scholarship provided a safe for me to thrive and allowed me to focus on my education and focus on my purpose," said Christie, a senior public health major.

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An eager group of listeners clapped, clicked their cell phone cameras, and cheered as Staley stood in line for photos after the closing remarks by University president Michael Amiridis. Some dressed in full glam, two snuck Staley merchandize under their jackets. One man rocked a Staley USA basketball jersey, one wore a T-shirt with her Slam Magazine cover on it.

"Of course Dawn was Dawn tonight," Amiridis said. "Authentic, inspiring and talented, thank you. I will be in Las Vegas in 83 days from tonight (for the season opener) and I know I'm not the only one counting."

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina, Robin Roberts honor women's basketball coach Dawn Staley