Gamecocks fans pack buses to bring home-court feel to Greensboro

Eight buses packed with South Carolina supporters traveled here Friday in the Gamecocks’ first NCAA tournament “home away from home” bus trip.

The $60 per-person cost covered transportation, reserved seat game tickets, soft drinks and light snacks. But it was more than just a bus ride, fans said.

“We had a great time,” said Kimberly Cannady of Columbia. “We met new people. We laughed. We talked. We just got to know each other. We ate, of course, and then we ate some more.”

Cannady and mom Dorothy Stewart made the trip with several friends.

They were among the 400 people who made the USC-organized 3½ hour ride from Key Road in Columbia to the Greensboro Coliseum. The contingent included seven fan buses and an eighth with athletics staff and USC’s most loyal student fans, on top of supporters who opted to provide their own transportation.

Four buses were utilized earlier this season to road games at Georgia and Duke, and the same number was planned for the Sweet 16. With demand higher, however, USC scrambled to add bus companies to up the fleet for the weekend.

More than 100 people remained on the waiting list for Friday’s game. The school has six buses secured for Sunday with a goal to add more.

Rick and Rory Ackerman, from Columbia, said the short distance to Greensboro made the decision to attend easy. The bus trip itself was well-organized, they said, with people passing the time by talking, reading or looking for other USC fans on the road.

“People were looking out the window looking for flags on cars that say ‘Gamecocks’ and cheering when they saw them,” Rick Ackerman said.

The bus trips have been known to include trivia, song signing and the occasional baked goodie made by one of the participating fans. The goal is to help create a home-court feel when the Gamecocks aren’t playing at Colonial Life Arena, and coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks players visit fans afterward to say thanks.

“We have a great time on all of our bus trips because the fans are excited when we leave Columbia, great support at the games, and even more excited on the way home,” said Dianne Palmer, who works in the women’s basketball office and handles the bus trip reservations. “The Gamecocks are so honored when they look up in the stands and see all of the support when they are at home and especially when they are on the road.”

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 7:17 PM.