GREENVILLE – Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts praised the crowd, which was majority South Carolina women’s basketball fans to witness the Gamecocks beating Texas for the SEC tournament championship Sunday.
Kitts said the environment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena almost felt like playing at Colonial Life Arena in nearby Columbia.
“It’s like a (home) game away from home,” Feagin added before South Carolina coach Dawn Staley chimed in.
“I didn’t think they were that loud,” Staley said with a smile before looking at her players. Kitts and Feagin stared back, missing their coach’s point.
“SEC tournament, we want to keep this (here),” Staley said.
“Oh, they weren’t loud enough, honestly,” Feagin said, finally catching on.
The No. 1 seed Gamecocks (30-3) won 64-45 over No. 2 seed Texas (31-3) for their third straight SEC tournament championship. There were no shortage of moments that made the crowd erupt for South Carolina.
“I’m going to be real. It is advantageous for us, OK?” Staley said. “I will say this. I mean, everybody has an opportunity to buy a ticket. They do. If this was played, I don’t know, in Mississippi, our fans are still coming. They’re coming to wherever we are. We built up an incredible fan base that travels. Our fans were in Paris last year when we opened the season. Our fans were in (Las) Vegas when we opened the season this year.”
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The SEC tournament has been hosted in Greenville the last three seasons, and the conference announced in October that it extended its agreement with the city of Greenville through 2028. Bon Secours Wellness Arena is just over 100 miles from Colonial Life Arena, and opposing coaches were asked about the environment after playing the Gamecocks all weekend.
Staley also said the conference should consider the fans in Greenville in future discussions about the location of the conference tournament.
“I mean, it’s a great city,” said Staley. “Like, it’s a great city. There’s so much to do. There’s so much architecture. There’s so many great restaurants. There’s so many walking paths. There’s so much to do. I think about that, as well. I also think about there’s a lot of people in the gym today. That’s an indicator of where women’s basketball is.”
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dawn Staley, South Carolina basketball big fans of Greenville for SEC
