South Carolina to Host Inaugural PowHer Player Classic This November
Dawn Staley is once again finding ways to move women’s basketball forward off the court, not just on it. South Carolina women’s basketball will host the PowHer Player Classic, a new multi-team tournament at Colonial Life Arena set for November 28-29, built with a specific focus on expanding NIL access and opportunities for players across the sport.
According to the event details, South Carolina will open tournament play against Tennessee State on November 28, before facing either NC Central or Alabama A&M on November 29 to close out the two-day event. The matchups give the Gamecocks a pair of non-conference games sandwiched right into Thanksgiving week, just days before the team’s regular slate of marquee opponents ramps up in December.
What sets the event apart isn’t just the on-court schedule — it’s the mission behind it. Framing the tournament around NIL access signals an intent to create more visibility and earning opportunities for players from programs that don’t always get the same national spotlight as perennial powerhouses like South Carolina. By bringing Tennessee State, NC Central, and Alabama A&M into Colonial Life Arena for nationally relevant games, the Classic gives players from HBCU programs a platform they might not otherwise have during the regular season.
It’s a fitting continuation of Staley’s broader footprint on the sport. Beyond three national championships and a program that consistently draws elite recruiting classes, Staley has increasingly used her platform to create structural opportunities for women’s basketball as a whole — and the PowHer Player Classic looks to be the latest example of that effort, giving smaller programs a chance to share the stage with one of the sport’s biggest brands right in Columbia.
With the event branded under South Carolina, the SEC, and Nike, and staged in one of the sport’s premier venues, the tournament’s opening edition sets up as both a scheduling boost for the Gamecocks and a meaningful showcase for the visiting programs come late November.
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