Greenville a neutral site? Dawn Staley, Vanderbilt coach have similar takes about it
Bon Secours Wellness Arena might as well have been Colonial Life Arena on Friday afternoon.
The site of this year’s SEC Tournament, while technically neutral, was full of South Carolina fans who helped fuel the Gamecocks to an 84-63 win over Vanderbilt in the tournament quarterfinals.
Friday’s win moves Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks’ record in SEC Tournament games played in Greenville to 16-1.
“Why bring that up now? The coaches are gonna want to move from Greenville,” Staley joked with a reporter.
Staley was asked after the Vanderbilt game if it’s advantageous that the SEC Tournament is played in South Carolina, just an hour and a half up the road from the Gamecocks’ home. Her answer cut straight to the point: “Yes, it is.”
“It is because our fans come and they buy their tickets,” Staley said. “It’s not like we’re giving tickets away. They buy the tickets in order for them to cheer on our team.”
Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph admitted the predominantly pro-Gamecock crowd created an atmosphere that affected her Commodores. At the same time, Ralph said she told her team to pretend the cheers were for them and just enjoy “that there’s butts in the seats.”
“You want to say that it doesn’t, but it does,” Ralph said. “They have a traveling fan base and they travel very far, but it is a great environment. And whether they’re cheering for us or not, it’s great to have that kind of environment in our women’s basketball game.”
Both Staley and Ralph admitted the Greenville crowd provides a boost for South Carolina, but both also agreed they care more about a full crowd.
“If I’m a coach, I would rather have a full gym, right? Even if we’re in Austin, Texas, I’d rather have a full gym than have an empty gym,” Staley said. “I think our game has grown to the point where Greenville has been a location that everybody can get to. The city is great. The arena is great. The people here are great.”
Opposing teams will have to continue to get used to a little bit of a home advantage for the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament for the next three years. Greenville and Bon Secours Wellness Arena will continue to host the tournament through 2028.
“I’m happy that we’re hosting in South Carolina because now you know everybody else in the SEC sees what makes South Carolina great, and it’s the people,” Staley said.
