South Carolina women’s basketball, Dawn Staley prepare for a ‘repeat tour’ after NCAA title
COLUMBIA – Raven Johnson had the final words at Monday's celebration of the South Carolina women's basketball national championship team.
"The revenge tour is over," Johnson said. "Now it's time for the repeat tour."
Screams erupted. The Gamecocks are back in town.
I’m here at Colonial Life Arena for South Carolina’s return to Columbia. Follow along for updates for @GreenvilleNews pic.twitter.com/9WpteWCh9y
— Lulu Kesin (@LuluKesin) April 8, 2024
From start to finish Monday, less than 24 hours after defeating Iowa 87-75 to capture South Carolina's third NCAA title, the Gamecocks received a rousing welcome home at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks took down the Hawkeyes at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, where the team spent the night before arriving back home on Monday morning. The first stop on their hometown celebration was their home arena.
The event was packed with fans and students, cheers bursting loudly, as the undefeated women's basketball team (38-0) carried their new hardware after avenging their 2023 semifinals loss to Iowa. Athletic director Ray Tanner and radio voice of the program Brad Muller spoke briefly before Staley took the stage.
"It is an incredible honor to come back to this, to come back to you," Staley told the crowd. "It's so cool to come back to a place in which we've had so much success. ... We don't lose very many times in (Colonial Life Arena) because of the environment you all create."
To get the crowd pumped up again, Staley stated that for the first three minutes of the game, her team got blown out. She paused, looked around, then proceeded to say "but for the 37 other minutes," as the crowded cheered, implying the rest of the game was all South Carolina.
Staley then gave a special shoutout to her practice players, joking that the group was "the only team to beat (South Carolina) this year."
Staley capped the celebration by carrying the trophy around the lower level of the building, as her team followed.
HOW IT HAPPENED: South Carolina women's basketball, Dawn Staley beat Iowa for undefeated NCAA championship
The city of Columbia will honor Staley and the team with an official parade on Sunday. Fans can line up on Main Street in Columbia, with celebrations beginning at 2 p.m.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women's basketball, Dawn Staley prepare for repeat tour
