Image via South Carolina Women’s Basketball
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks are taking their commitment to HBCU women’s basketball to another level.
South Carolina will host the inaugural PowHER Player Classic during Thanksgiving weekend in partnership with Rae Rose Media, bringing together four women’s basketball programs — South Carolina, Alabama A&M, North Carolina Central and Tennessee State — for a first-of-its-kind event centered on HBCU basketball and NIL opportunities.
The tournament will take place at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, beginning Saturday, Nov. 28. Alabama A&M and NC Central will meet in the opening game before South Carolina takes on Tennessee State. The consolation and championship games will follow on Sunday, Nov. 29.
But the PowHER Player Classic is designed to be much more than a basketball tournament.
Rae Rose Media will coordinate several events surrounding the competition, including a live NIL Marketplace, educational and networking sessions, sponsor activations, a holiday-based community service initiative and a Culture Night Kickoff Dinner.
The NIL Marketplace will give participating student-athletes an opportunity to connect with brands and industry leaders while developing opportunities beyond the basketball court.
“Basketball has always been a vehicle for access and opportunities,” Staley said. “I am passionate about making sure no young women who pour into our game get left behind in those expanding prospects, regardless of where they play.”
The tournament also features several personal connections to Staley.
NC Central head coach Olivia Gaines is a former South Carolina player who competed under Staley from 2013-15. Tennessee State head coach Candice Dupree played for Staley at Temple, while TSU assistant coach Jacob Coltrane previously served as a graduate assistant at South Carolina.
Staley has consistently scheduled HBCU opponents throughout her South Carolina tenure. The Gamecocks have played an HBCU during 15 of Staley’s 18 seasons as head coach and have faced HBCU programs four times in the NCAA Tournament.
The PowHER Player Classic represents another significant step toward creating greater exposure and opportunities for HBCU women’s basketball — while connecting athletes with the rapidly expanding business side of women’s sports.
This Thanksgiving weekend, the spotlight won’t just be on the basketball. It will also be on the women, their brands, their opportunities and the future of HBCU women’s basketball.
