South Carolina fans soak up Final Four festivities

Heather Jones made a prediction in October, just a few weeks ahead of the South Carolina women’s basketball team tipping off its season.

With a strong returning roster and an influx of All-American talent on the way, the South Carolina super fan from Columbia joined coach Dawn Staley in having visions of a run for a national championship.

So Jones and husband Jeff made the leap more than five months ago and purchased tickets to the Women’s Final Four. On Saturday, they were among the growing contingent of supporters in town to cheer on the Gamecocks.

“This was going to be our year to finally get here,” Jones said. “I didn’t want to miss the first time we ever make it to the Final Four.”

Saturday was all about celebrating that accomplishment, as a day full of events at Amalie Arena gave fans one last chance to get up close and personal with their teams. Open practices, team autograph sessions and a host of outdoor events kept players and supporters busy leading up to Sunday night’s semifinal games.

Unlike last weekend’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Greensboro, N.C., there are no fan buses bringing in additional garnet-and-black faithful. USC fans are providing their own transportation this weekend, with many taking nine to 10 hours or more to navigate the congested Easter weekend roads.

The Gamecocks sold more than 750 tickets through the school’s official channels, with more expected to buy tickets on their own like the Jones family. USC also will have the support of Gamecocks who call Florida home.

Kenneth and Jan Hinson, USC fans who are originally from Lancaster, now live in Orlando and made the short drive to Tampa for the Final Four.

“I’ve only been here 15 minutes and I’ve already had someone comment about how many Gamecock fans we have here showing up,” Kenneth Hinson said. “It shows the support we have for all of our teams. Right now the women’s basketball team is the star at the moment.”

Sue Wright and Janice Benedetti, who live north of Tampa, have followed Staley’s career since her playing days at Virginia. The former hospital workers in Charlottesville, Va., led booster efforts for the Cavaliers when Staley starred there and have kept in touch with her ever since.

On Saturday they were decked out in South Carolina apparel.

“We had to come to this,” Wright said. “I haven’t seen her for a long time. Getting to see her was super.”

Heather Jones had one more prediciton to make about how the Final Four will unfold. She plans to celebrate her birthday Tuesday with the Gamecocks facing Connecticut or Maryland for the title.

“I feel very good about this,” Heather Jones said. “I feel good about our matchup against Notre Dame. I think we’ll go to the national championship.”

This story was originally published April 4, 2015 at 6:20 PM.