South Carolina sets hurricane relief exhibition game
Less than a week after South Carolina coach Frank Martin teased it, the Gamecocks announced Monday they will indeed be hosting an exhibition game for hurricane relief.
Virginia Tech, an NCAA Tournament participant from a season ago, will come to Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 5 to face USC. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will go by the tile “Hoops 4 Hurricane Relief.”
Martin said last week during SEC media day in Nashville that the Gamecocks were in “talks” to participate in such an event.
The event will raise funds for those impacted by the recent storms, as net proceeds from the game will support hurricane relief efforts in Texas, South Florida and Puerto Rico. Tickets for the game are $10 for a general admission seat, and can be purchased online or by calling the South Carolina Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS. Fans who donate $250 or more will receive two premium seats for the matchup, as well as two passes to the McGuire Club during the game.
Additionally, Gamecock head coach Frank Martin and Hokies head coach Buzz Williams encourage fans to make a donation to the “Hoops 4 Hurricane Relief” fund via online donation. Funds raised from the game, and the online donation will be directed to organizations benefiting the affected areas.
“During our August NABC Board of Director meetings, we asked the NCAA to consider allowing schools to play an additional exhibition game to help give relief to the different communities that have been affected by the storms,” Martin said. “The NCAA should be commended in allowing schools to play games like the one we will play against Virginia Tech to help raise much needed funds to the communities that are in dire need of our help. What a great opportunity for two NCAA Tournament teams to play each other for this cause.”
“Virginia Tech is honored to be able to participate in such an outstanding event,” Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams said. “To be able to help these areas that have seen such devastation due to the hurricanes is the right thing to do. We will be able to play a game against a top-level opponent and have the ability to help people in need in the process. I applaud Coach Martin and his staff for putting this together on such short notice. Plus, there is the ability for our fans, who may not be able to attend the game the opportunity to give through the online link. That’s what the Hokie Nation does, help those in need.”
Both coaching staffs and members of each program have deep ties to the affected areas. Martin is a native of South Florida and Williams is a native Texan. Virginia Tech associate head coach Steve Roccaforte is a Beaumont, Texas, native that had family and close friends directly impacted by the devastation, and Gamecock assistant Chuck Martin had family members in Puerto Rico impacted as well.
Both the Gamecocks and Hokies will begin the 2017-18 season on Nov. 10, as South Carolina travels to Wofford (7 p.m. ET) for its season opener, and Virginia Tech will host Detroit Mercy at 6 p.m. ET at Cassell Coliseum, as part of the 2K Classic.
The Hokies went 22-11 last season, falling to No. 8 seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
This story was originally published October 23, 2017 at 10:07 AM with the headline "South Carolina sets hurricane relief exhibition game."