Staley on the Vision Behind the PowHER Player Classic — Everything Dawn Staley Said.
South Carolina’s new Thanksgiving weekend tournament, the PowHER Player Classic, will bring three HBCUs — Tennessee State, NC Central, and Alabama A&M — to Columbia, with the event organized by Rae Rose Media, the same marketing agency behind South Carolina’s past NIL initiatives like its NCAA selection watch party. Two of the visiting programs carry direct ties to the Gamecocks: Tennessee State is coached by Candice Dupree, a WNBA great who played under Dawn Staley at Temple, and NC Central is led by former Gamecock Olivia Gaines.
At the heart of the event is Staley’s stated purpose for creating it — extending opportunity beyond just the games themselves. She explained her thinking directly: “To me, basketball has always been a vehicle for access and opportunities, and our game has grown to where those go well beyond just what happens on the court. 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. That was the inspiration for this event, and I’m so proud to work with Rae Rose Media to bring it to life this season.”
That philosophy shows up in how the weekend is structured. Rather than just a basketball tournament, the event opens Thanksgiving Thursday with a community service initiative, followed by a Friday centered on an NIL Marketplace — complete with sponsor activations for all four teams, educational and networking sessions aimed at future partnerships, and a Culture Night Kickoff Dinner hosted by Rae Rose. Only after that does the on-court competition begin, with NC Central facing Alabama A&M and Tennessee State facing South Carolina on Saturday, November 28, followed by a championship and consolation round Sunday.
The event fits a broader pattern for Staley’s program — South Carolina has played an HBCU opponent in 15 of her 18 seasons at the helm, making this new tournament less a departure and more a formalized expansion of a commitment she’s maintained throughout her tenure.
With the Classic now locked in, South Carolina’s non-conference schedule is nearly complete, sitting at 12 officially confirmed games plus two more expected from the Players Era Championship. That leaves room for up to two additional games, though the Gamecocks aren’t required to fill every open date — as seen in past seasons when international travel (like this year’s Paris trip to face Maryland on November 2) trimmed the non-conference slate slightly to accommodate travel demands.
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