HSSR Editorial Feature

A Potential Idea Shared To land Permanent Venue for SCHSL Basketball Championships. Also Promoting Special Fund-Raiser To Honor The Legacy of Dr. Spencer Jordan

Moncks Corner -- The SCHSL is always going to be in a challenging position in coming up with a venue to host their well-attended, and well-supported, late season basketball play-offs involving the lower and upper state finals and the 10 championship games that involve 10 boy’s and girl’s teams each year.

Before we go any further the HSSR extends congratulations to all 2023-24 state basketball champions. Please enjoy our extensive coverage of every championship game played elsewhere in this issue.

Before I share my thoughts on what just might end up being the ultimate “idea of the day” I would like to say that the Florence Center, located at the intersection of I-95 and I-20, truly turned out to be a perfect venue for the SCHSL basketball playoffs. Parking certainly was not an issue. (Amen!) Due to a capacity of 10,000 for the Florence Center, dedicated fans, who just love the sport, could purchase one $15 ticket, and stay all day, and into the night for one price! In smaller arenas you would have to clear out the fans at the end of each game.

Also, playing both the upper and lower state championship games, and then the championships in the Florence Center, allowed players, who went on to the finals, a better understanding of depth perception issues, and the tightness of new rims, is big arenas. Being familiar with the court you are playing on a state title on is important in my opinion.

Spring Valley High in Columbia is off Exit 80 of I-20. Just 60 miles east on I-20 to Exit 140 you are one mile from the Florence Center! At the 70 miles per hour speed limit on I-20 you, you can drive from Spring Valley to the Florence Center in just over 51 minutes. The 20 teams in the finals this year came from the towns and cities of Rock Hill, Sumter, Lexington, Duncan, Darlington, Landrum, Kershaw, Mt. Pleasant, Lake View, Denmark, Greenville, Rowesville, Camden, and Powdersville.

No matter where you have the  SCHSL basketball championships the geography of where teams are from will always vary. The location of the championship venue does not have to vary leaving everyone to wonder when and where until mid-fall every year. If possibly the SCHSL has an opportunity to lock in the Florence Center for the next 10 years, I say sign the contract NOW and move on to other business.  

Now here is a suggestion that could also work: At the end of the 2023 Legislation Session in South Carolina, around the first of June, the legislature over-rode $153 million dollars of ear marks in the $10.8 Billon state budget that had been vetoed by Governor Henry McMaster! Wow!

One ear mark veto over rode in this $153 million prior veto was for $500,000 to help fund the John McKissick Hall of Fame Museum in Summerville. This ear mark, not a bill, was introduced by Rep. Murphy who represents the Summerville area. I know first hand that Dillon House member Jackie Hayes worked hard to save this particular earmark. I am a huge supported of the late John McKissick also and I agree the money went to a great cause to honor the legend of the nation’s all- time winningest football coach, at any level!

I visited the John McKissick Museum the day it opened and I was in awe during my two- hour visit!

So, let’s all put on our thinking caps for a minute! (Yes, all of us.) Several legislators in the Florence area, or any area for that matter, but Florence would be a great place to start. Let’s use the Florence Center for example, but it could be any arena in the state of South Carolina with a capacity of 10,000 or more could be factored as long as said arena is available. (This most certainly would rule out the Colonial Life Center in Columbia).  

Once, the SCHSL would need to figure just how must the ear mark would need to be to satisfy all expenses associated with the use of said “permanent  venue” that could be renewed every year!

The ear mark could even cover “free parking” and take care of renting the Florence Center, or any other venue for that matter. Having free parking would double the attendance at the games for sure. The ear mark would not cover free admission or concessions for the fans. (Sorry) The $15 per ticket would be shared, 100 per cent by the SCHSL and all the schools that participated in the lower and upper state finals, plus the state finals at said venue.

I would think a $250,000 earmark would cover all parking, and rental expenses of said venue, including some funding for law enforcement and volunteers needed to manage such a high- profile event. Only non-profit organizations are allowed to apply for ear marks through their legislators. The SCHSL is a non-profit organization to my understanding.

If the legislature over-rode $153 million worth of ear marks, originally vetoed by the Governor last year, what might any of us think if we actually had direct knowledge of all the ear marks that were paid for by you and me, and the rest of the South Carolina tax payers! I for one, would love to see an ear mark to help fund high profile SCHSL state championship events. Before you dismiss this as a bad idea give it some more thought!

The definition of a government ear mark is  a provision in legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization. If the General Assembly allocated $153 million for ear marks, to projects in every county in our state last year, please try to convince me they could not approve a $250,000 a year “ear mark” to fund and promote the SCHSL basketball championships, or any SCHSL state championship requiring a neutral venue that charges high usage fees.  

What do you think about the aforementioned? Let me know at bilrecruit@aol.com.

Laurence Manning Academy To Begin Fund Raiser To Build New Gymnasium In Honor Of The late Dr. Spencer Jordan

Starting on April, 27^th with Laurence Manning’s annual school auction in the current gym at the school, a fund-raising campaign will begin to raise funds to build a new gymnasium adjacent to the current one, and name it in honor of the late Dr. Spencer Jordan who passed away in early January.

Dr. Jordan was a long time Head of School at Laurence Manning before he became the Executive Director of SCISA five years ago. It has always been a goal of Dr. Jordan to have a gym large enough on the campus of LMA to accommodate the entire student body of the school that numbers close to 1,200 in all grades.

Current LMA Head of School, Tripp Boykin, recently said, “One of Dr. Jordan’s dreams/goals was to have a gym large enough to hold the entire student body,” said Mr. Boykin. “In fact, he had worked on plans for a gym, trying to ensure the gym would accommodate our entire school body, athletic needs and our cultural arts program, before moving on to his role at SCISA.”

If interested, you are encouraged to donate to the Dr. Spencer Jordan Gym Building Fund by going to Fillthepaw.com where you can donate online.