State championship basketball games returning to Columbia. Here’s what we know
The S.C. High School League’s state championship basketball games are returning to Columbia.
The league’s executive committee voted Wednesday in favor of bringing the games back to Colonial Life Arena for the first time since 2020. Negotiations to bring the games back to South Carolina’s capital city have been ongoing among the SCHSL, Colonial Life Arena and the University South Carolina.
The championships will return to the home of the USC Gamecocks starting with the 2025-26 high school season. Dates for the games have not been announced. Ticket prices will be $20 per day, an increase of $5 from this year and intended to help offset costs associated with the move back to Colonial Life Arena.
Schools that make it to the finals also would be guaranteed $1,000.
“Schools have shared with us they would rather have the experience than have a less financial impact on the state finals. We are taking that into account where we are able to meet the needs financially,” SCHSL committee member Harrison Goodwin said.
The games were routinely played in Columbia for years either at the Colonial Life Arena or Carolina Coliseum, but were moved in 2021 due to scheduling and cost issues. They were held at the USC Aiken Convocation Center from 2021 to 2023.
The games then shifted to the Florence Center for both the state semifinals and championships over an eight- or nine-day period. While some liked the idea of having both the semifinals and finals in the same venue, there were complaints from coaches and fans, especially from the Upstate, about the costs and impacts of so much travel.
Greenville boys coach Mike Anderson and Liberty boys coach Brenden Marcell talked at last month’s state championships about the cost their teams had to incur for making the three-plus hour trips to Florence, which included hotel stays.
Greenville had to make two trips, one for the semifinal game and the other for the state championship.
“Everybody in the state that grew up in this state talked about wanting to get to Columbia (for championships),” Anderson said after the Red Raiders won the Class 5A Division II boys championship. “I grew up in the Columbia area and that is where it should be. It is best for the state.”
SC Basketball Coaches Association Director John Combs is pleased the championships are coming back to CLA and said talks started after the season ended. He sent out surveys to coaches across the state to get feedback and it was clear the majority wanted the games back in Columbia.
“One thing was clear in our surveys that coaches and athletic directors wanted championships back in Colonial Life Arena,” Combs told The State. “Don’t get us wrong, Florence was a great host for the state championships but there is something special with having state championship games in Colonial Life Arena. I’m glad it has an opportunity to get back there.”
The Lower State championships will remain at the Florence Center next year, while Upper State championships will be held at neutral sites and decided by the teams playing in each game.
The football finals will remain at S.C. State this year, but USC has expressed an interest in hosting the games at Williams-Brice Stadium in the future. Williams-Brice won’t be able to host games in 2025-26 because of ongoing construction at the stadium.
The games haven’t been held at Williams-Brice Stadium since 2019.
Ashley Ridge ban lifted, will suspend football coach
Ashley Ridge won its appeal to have a postseason ban lifted for its football team, but the school will self-impose sanctions against head coach Jeff Tate.
Tate will be suspended from coaching for one year and not allowed to have contact with anyone from the program. He finished his second season at Ashley Ridge after working at Wren. The school also will be fined $1,000 by the league.
“I think holding those adults accountable is a step in the right direction. I commend Ashley Ridge for doing that and not hurting the student-athletes involved,” SCHSL executive committee president Nicolas Pearson said. “We hope adults learn from those decisions.”
According to testimony in the hearing, Tate engaged with two players from other schools about coming to Ashley Ridge to play sports. The players contacted him first, according to Ashley Ridge principal Brooke Matthews.
Another athletic director at another county school turned Ashley Ridge in to the league.
“We know that we broke a rule, but we didn’t earn any competitive advantage,” Matthews said.
The school announced Ashley Haskins will be the school’s interim coach next season.
This is isn’t the first sanction against the school this year. Ashley Ridge girls basketball was disqualified from the postseason because of the use of an ineligible player.
Ashley Ridge was scheduled to play in the state semifinals.
Other rules passed
The SCHSL executive committee voted on several other matters Wednesday. Here were the highlights:
▪ Legion Collegiate, a public charter school in Rock Hill, was approved to return to the SCHSL as an at-large member beginning July 1. Being an at-large member means the school can’t compete in sports that require region play such as football, basketball, baseball, soccer and tennis but can participate in golf and swimming. Currently, the school offers seven boys sports and seven girls sports. The school says it is looking to add cross country.
This will be Legion’s second go-round in the SCHSL with the first time ending in an exit from the league. Legion was a member when it began in 2019 but left voluntarily in 2021.
▪ The start of the fall sports practice will be moved up from Aug. 1 to July 31.
▪ A mercy rule will be in place for high school basketball and soccer. The mercy rule for basketball will be when it is a 40-point differential at halftime or after. A running clock will be in place for the rest of the game. In soccer, if it is between a 5 to 9 goal lead at halftime, the second half will be played in 20 minutes for varsity and 15 for sub-varsity. If at any point in the second half, the differential is 10 goals, the game will be called. If the second half starts, a minimum of 10 minutes must be played.
▪ A week has been added to beginning of the boys tennis season and end of lacrosse season.
▪ The executive committee voted down a proposal that would allow football players to play two quarters in JV game on Thursday and two in varsity on Friday.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 12:11 PM with the headline "State championship basketball games returning to Columbia. Here’s what we know."
