COLUMBIA, S.C. — You’ll soon be seeing signs celebrating the South Carolina Gamecocks’ women’s basketball national championship when you’re driving around the state.
USC Head Coach Dawn Staley–joined by USC officials and South Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall–unveiled Thursday the new road signs that will honor the team. The brief ceremony took place at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia where they let people look at the sign for the first time. The banner reads, “University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball National Champions 2017 & 2022.”
A total of 15 signs will go up around the state of South Carolina beginning on Thursday, including several around the City of Columbia. Welcome Centers near the South Carolina border in both directions on I-85, I-26, I-77 and I-95 as well as the one on East Bound I-20 will have the new signage. Around the Columbia area, signs will be at I-20 East Bound Exit 58 and West Bound Exit 73A, I-26 Exit 111B in both directions, I-77 Exit 5 in both directions, and at the Harbison Street Ext. intersection of South Bound SC-277.
Although it wasn’t planned, the unveiling happened to take place on the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which banned sex based discrimination in colleges and allowed for the expansion of women’s sports, eventually paving the way for the women’s college basketball landscape we see today. It was a point not lost on Staley. “I think it’s an incredible tribute to us to celebrate on this day,’ she said.
And if you’re wondering how the team might do next season, Staley said she got a text message from the National Player of the Year, USC star forward Aliyah Boston. Boston told her “we’re going to be really good.”
“For our national player of the year to say that, if she believes it, I’m going to believe it,” Staley said. ‘We’re going to pour into each other and hopefully this takes place next year.”
USC defeated UConn 64-49 on April 3rd in Minneapolis to secure the national title. It was the second championship in program history, to go along with the one they earned in 2017.
Boston was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.