SC basketball championships are back in Columbia. How did that happen?
It’s been almost 40 years since Carey Rich was part of a state championship-winning basketball team at C.A. Johnson High School.
That event still resonates with Rich, who went on to play at South Carolina and is a member of the Gamecocks’ staff under Lamont Paris. The former Gamecock point guard said is experience is one of the reasons he helped behind the scenes to help the SC High School League get the championship games back to Columbia, the state’s capital city.
The 12 title games will be played Thursday-Saturday at Colonial Life Arena, the home of the Gamecocks’ basketball teams, with four matchups each day.
“I played in the biggest conference and part of the best conference in the country. I had a chance to be on the floor with Hall of Famers and play in storied arenas. But none of those experiences rival winning the state championship in 1989 with my CA Johnson team,” Rich said this week. “It is the most memorable sporting experience I have ever been a part of. It stays with you and you never forget. You become revered in the community and at the particular school. I just thought with how that experience impacted me and I think every person in today’s high school culture should have a chance to experience it.”
The games were routinely played in Columbia for years either at the Colonial Life Arena or Carolina Coliseum (where Rich played in his title game) but were moved in 2021 because of scheduling and cost issues. They were held at the USC Aiken Convocation Center from 2021-2023. The games then shifted to the Florence Center for both the state semifinals and championships over an eight- or nine-day period.
While some liked the idea of having both the semifinals and finals in the same venue, there were complaints from coaches and fans, especially from the Upstate, about the costs and impacts of so much travel.
“Nothing against any of the other venues. The people in Florence were great last year. But our kids are a lot more excited to be playing in Columbia. I think the crowds will be better as well,” said Mike Anderson, who led the Greenville boys to a state title last year before becoming the school’s athletic director. “It sounded like money was an issue for it not to be in Columbia but we (coaches) felt that wasn’t an excuse for it not to be there. And I know Carey worked behind the scenes with a lot of people to try and make it more doable.
“I just think it will be a bigger experience for all the teams and communities.”
Anderson will have both of the Greenville teams in the championships for the first time in school history. The Red Raider girls play Berkeley and the boys play Westwood in the Class 5A Division II championship games Thursday.
Rich’s alma mater, CA Johnson, also is back in the title game for the third time in school history. The Green Hornets will play Bethune Bowman for the Class A boys championship on Saturday. Rich won’t be able to attend because he will be with the USC men, who will close out the regular season at Ole Miss.
Talks of the championship games returning to Columbia began shortly after last year’s title games. SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said he spoke with Rich, who helped get the ball rolling. He reached out to USC athletic administration and the CLA about the games returning.
There also were talks with Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and members of Richland County council.
“Everybody was 1,000 percent on board,” Rich said.
The biggest obstacles in the past were the costs and possible scheduling conflicts with USC men’s basketball games. They had to make sure the Gamecocks were going to be on the road the weekend of the games.
The City of Columbia and Richland County committed financially to help bring the costs down. Everything moved quickly. On April 9, the SCHSL executive committee unanimously approved games at the CLA.
“They always wanted (championships) back here. That was always on the table to see if we could possibly do it. This time it came to fruition,” Singleton said last week. “I got to give a shoutout to Carey Rich. He worked hard and did a lot.”
Under the agreement, schools that make it to the finals would be guaranteed $1,000.
Tickets are $20 and good for all four games on that particular day. Ticket prices are up $5 from last year, intended to help offset costs associated with the move back to Colonial Life Arena.
The city of Columbia also will benefit from having the games back at the CLA. Experience Columbia SC Sports executive director Scott Powers said the average economic impact the last three times the games were in Columbia was just over $900,000.
Experience Columbia also was promoting the games through a social media campaign in which participating teams took photos with signs that read “We’re on the road to the Basketball State Championship” and had the company’s logo on it.
Live Vape Free, an initiative of the SC Department of Public Health’s Tobacco and Substance Use Prevention Section, will serve as the presenting sponsor of the games.
“Just as important as the visitor spending is the opportunity to host as many state championships as possible here in Columbia,” Powers told The State. “Having these events in the Midlands allows families from across the state to travel more affordably and support their schools while giving student-athletes the chance to compete on a big stage at Colonial Life Arena.”
It is just a one-year agreement to have the basketball games at the CLA, which the SCHSL does for its championship game sites. But all parties believe that keeping the games in Columbia is a must and will do what they can to make it happen.
“Columbia is a destination when it comes to hosting state championship games,” Rich said. “I say that respectfully to all other sites that the championship games have been held. It is just a different level of excitement.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM.
