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Morris: Women's game has star power

Posted on 11.21.08
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Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com/

USC coach Dawn Staley reacts to a call in the second period during the Gamecocks game against Clemson at the Colonial Life Arena Wednesday.

Ron Morris

Columnist

rmorris@thestate.com
(803) 771-8432

I’M GOING OUT on a limb here and saying that women’s basketball at South Carolina will be a money-making venture in the near future. Not only that, if USC follows my plan, the sport’s popularity will soar over the next few seasons.

My three-point plan is simple, not particularly costly and will have basketball fans flocking to see the Gamecocks play. First, USC and new coach Dawn Staley must win and win big, which will happen sooner than you think. Next, USC must vow to keep ticket prices family affordable through the continued economic downturn. Finally, USC must renovate the Carolina Coliseum and play all of its women’s games there.

Let’s address the issues in reverse order.

The Carolina Coliseum should again be a palace for basketball, the women’s variety. A few million dollars added to Eric Hyman’s master facilities plan can breathe new life into an arena that once was the Taj Mahal for basketball in the Southeast.

I’m convinced male fans will attend games at the Carolina Coliseum just to rekindle the memory of USC’s finest hours in any sport. On top of that, fans can again understand what a joy it is to watch a game in an arena built for basketball instead of for circuses and rodeos.

“It’s more intimate,” Staley said of the house that Frank McGuire built. “From a basketball fan standpoint, there is not a bad seat in the house. The crowd sits right on top of you.”

The facility also would be one women’s basketball can call its own, unless the men want to play an annual “throwback” game there. Such a setup works well for North Carolina and North Carolina State, where women’s teams play their home games at the old men’s facilities, Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill and Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

While coaching at Temple, Staley’s team played at old Reynolds Coliseum, which has been refurbished over the years and kept in tip-top condition.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” Staley said of playing at the 12,400-seat Carolina Coliseum. She spoke while standing on the court at the Colonial Life Arena, which seats 18,000.

“But I think this particular gym, for right now, is a recruiting tool that we use,” she said. “When you’re recruiting against places like Texas, Tennessee and Connecticut, they use (big arenas as a selling point).”

Actually, the smaller facility could be a huge recruiting edge for USC. As a prospect, would you rather play in front of 2,500 fans in what often appears to be a vacant airport hangar, or in front of 6,000 fans that create a raucous atmosphere in a more quaint facility?

In addition to drawing more male fans to the Carolina Coliseum, women’s basketball should be able to take advantage of the current economic collapse. It is the last remaining family affordable sport at USC.

A season ticket for women’s basketball this season goes for $50. That breaks down to $3.13 per ticket for each of the 16 home games. The better value for a family is the $100 four-pack of season tickets. Each one of those tickets costs $1.56 per home game.

Now that is affordable, unlike football and baseball.

A single men’s basketball season ticket costs $200 for an upper-deck seat, no strings attached ... and you might even be able to see the players from your seat. A lower-bowl season ticket costs $360, plus a minimum-level contribution of $165 to the Gamecock Club.

The lowest-priced season ticket to watch baseball in the new stadium is $210, plus $165 for membership in the Gamecock Club and $50 for a “seat donation,” the fancy term for seat licensing.

Football tickets? Get out your checkbook. The lowest-priced season ticket, where your seats presumably are somewhere on Bluff Road, are $320, plus the $165 membership to the Gamecock Club, plus a $50 “seat donation.”

“Absolutely,” Staley said when asked if women’s basketball provides great value for the dollar. “To me, it’s pretty entertaining. You’ve just got to get the first-timers to come out. If you can get them, I think a lot of stadiums can be filled in support of women’s basketball.”

The USC women averaged 1,878 fans for 17 home games a season ago. Throw out the Tennessee fans among the crowd of 7,841 at one game and the average falls to 1,506. Wednesday’s home-opener against Clemson drew a disappointing 2,315.

Perhaps with a little more marketing, cash-strapped sports enthusiasts would be more aware that women’s basketball games are very inexpensive. But no amount of marketing can substitute for winning.

There is every reason to believe Staley will win big at USC. She won at Temple, and her name recognition will bring great talent to USC.

“I feel like we’re going to win here,” Staley said. “I do feel like we’re going to win here, and I do feel like the city will embrace a winner.”

USC fans are starved for a winner, and they found one in the baseball program. Next in line, with a move to the Carolina Coliseum to speed the process, is women’s basketball.

Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM.

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