City to honor national champion Gamecocks with parade
Pep rally at Statehouse to follow parade
Posted on: April 3, 2017; Updated on: April 3, 2017
By Jeff Stensland, stenslan@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3686
Columbia Major Steve Benjamin and the city of Columbia plan to commemorate South Carolina's NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship with a parade at 3 p.m., Sunday (April 9) on Main Street.
"These incredible young ladies and Coach [Dawn] Staley secured the bag by bringing home a national championship, and the entire community wants to congratulate them on their hard work," Benjamin said. "Our men's team also proved to be a force this season under Coach [Frank] Martin in making it to the Final Four. This has truly been a basketball season that Carolina fans will never forget."
The parade route begins on Main Street at the Laurel Street intersection and will conclude at the intersection of Main and Gervais in front of the South Carolina Statehouse. The team will then hold a pep rally on the Statehouse steps, where fans can hear from Staley and selected team members.
In addition to Staley and the team, the parade will include university President Harris Pastides, athletics director Ray Tanner, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and Mayor Benjamin, as well as the South Carolina band, cheerleaders and Cocky.
Due to the parade route, there will be no parking after 11:59 p.m. Saturday (April 8) along the west side (City Hall side) of Main Street between Laurel and Gervais streets. For additional information, contact the city's parking services at 803-545-4015.
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