Big change possible for SC high school basketball playoffs. Here’s what we know
The South Carolina High School League will explore the possibility of holding its state basketball semifinals and championship games all at one venue.
SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton brought the topic up Friday during an executive committee appeals meeting related to Dorman basketball.
The idea for the postseason change was brought up during this week’s S.C. Athletic Administrators Association annual conference in Charleston. The state’s five classifications were each asked to discuss the possibility of holding the Upper State and Lower State championships — or semifinal games — and the state championships at one single venue over an eight-day period. The earliest times that games would begin on a given day would be 2 p.m., Singleton said.
Four of the five classifications would be in favor of making that change, it was revealed during Friday’s meeting, with Class 4A being against the idea. The biggest concern: Making sure the venue is centrally located, which might drop such cities as Greenville, Charleston and Rock Hill out of consideration for the games.
Singleton said he will begin the process of talking to possible arenas and bring more information on the topic before the executive committee meeting in April.
“Very few places that could meet requirements that we could do it. Appears the interest is there, excluding 4A, but it needs to be Florence Center or Columbia being the most centrally located for all schools,” Singleton said.
The Florence Center has a capacity of 7,686 for basketball and has hosted the Lower State championships for more than a decade. Colonial Life Arena in Columbia has a capacity of 18,000 and could easily accommodate the crowds for championships. The CLA had been the host for the championships for decades, but the rental cost was one of the factors that made the SCHSL move away from it.
Westwood High boys coach John Combs, the executive director of the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association, said there’s been talk among the coaches of wanting the games to come back to Columbia. He thinks it provides players and schools with the best overall experience.
“Colonial Life Arena is one of the best arenas out there, but if you can’t make it work financially then you can’t do it,” Combs said. “But I, as a basketball coach, would be perfectly fine with us playing in a state championship or lower, upper state championship (if it) meant we got to play in Colonial Life Arena and not make enough money — if I had a better experience as far as the arena to play in and have more fans there.
“I applaud the High School League for looking at this and being willing to try something different. I like that they are exploring and looking at it for next year right now.”
In previous years, the semifinals were held at different venues, with the state championship at another venue a few days later. The previous two years, the Upper State championships were held at Bob Jones University, the Lower State at Florence Center and state championships at USC Aiken (3,500-4,100 capacity).
The league was poised to host this year’s championships at Winthrop (6,100-seat capacity), but a conflict prevented it.
The issue with Bob Jones (4,000 seats) and USC Aiken has been capacity, at least with bigger classifications and having ticket allotment capped per school — and sometimes none being able to be released for sale to the general public.
Camden athletic director Brian Rimpf said the school would have been able to sell several hundred more tickets above the 500 allotted the past two years. The Bulldogs girls basketball team has made it to the Class 3A state championship game the past two seasons, winning it all this year against Wren.
Combs also said Westwood probably could have sold more tickets this year. The Redhawks made it to the 4A girls basketball championship for the first time.
“We are running into venues that have capped the number of tickets being sold, and there are people who want to be in that couldn’t be in,” Singleton said. “... I wouldn’t pursue one that would cost more than you can make. It is an economic impact in the area we go to.”
Dorman wins appeal
The SCHSL executive committee voted 9-2 to allow the Dorman basketball team to play in the inaugural Throne Hoops tournament at Morehouse College in Georgia on March 29-April 1.
Dorman will have to give up summer practice days for the amount of games played in the event. The Cavaliers won their fifth Class 5A championship in the past seven seasons earlier this month.
The tournament is being sponsored by the NBA Players Association and features some of the country’s top high school basketball teams. The SCHSL had denied Dorman’s request because the event was not sanctioned by the National Federation of High Schools.
This was the second time Dorman has been selected to play in a national postseason event. The Cavs were picked to play in GEICO Nationals in 2020, and the SCHSL executive committee granted their appeal to play in the event. The event was canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
This story was originally published March 17, 2023 at 2:53 PM.
