South Carolina women’s basketball: How the unusual exhibition against Memphis came together

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South Carolina opens the season in an unusual way: on the road in mid-October. Dawn Staley explained how the October 15 exhibition at Memphis came to be.

The Gamecocks hosted the Tigers at Colonial Life Arena on December 3, 2022. It was the first game of a home-and-home series between the two programs. The contract for the games included an unusual provision: the return game wouldn’t be played at the Tigers’ home arena

The Memphis women’s basketball team normally plays at Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The 2,565-seat arena was built in 1951 and last underwent major renovations during the 2020-2021 season.

Instead, the contract stipulated that the game would be played at FedEx Forum. The FedEx Forum is the home of the Memphis men’s basketball team and the NBA Memphis Grizzlies. It seats 17,794 and opened in 2004 with renovations in 2018.

It’s pretty clear why everyone would want to play the game at the larger venue. South Carolina would bring fans, and the more tickets you can sell, the more money you can make.

There was only one problem.

“We really didn’t have any room to return to Memphis,” Dawn Staley said.

They even adjusted the contract to move the return game from last season to this season, but they still couldn’t find a date. Memphis women’s basketball presumably has – at best- third pick of dates at FedEx Forum, which eliminates a lot of options.

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So they settled on a compromise; make the game an exhibition and a fundraiser they are calling the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.

“The coaching staff was so kind enough to agree,” Staley said.

The game is the second half of a double-header, with the Memphis and North Carolina men’s teams playing earlier. They will raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is located in Memphis. The charity is one of Staley’s favorites, and she is happy that the players can make some NIL money while supporting a good cause.

“It’s an NIL game for us,” she explained. “It’s an opportunity for us to just create a revenue source in that space, but also to represent the sponsor, which is St. Jude. I just got a St. Jude envelope in the mail because I’ve given St. Jude’s. To do it in this way, to do the hospital visits, to meet the people behind that take care of families and children in need is quite remarkable, and one that I want our players to experience.”

As for the early date, mid-October instead of late October, just three weeks after the official start of practice, Staley shrugged.

“It can only fit in that space,” she said, “but we’ve been practicing since we got back last month.”

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