Courtesy of Upstate Athletics:
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The University of South Carolina Upstate will celebrate the start of the college basketball season with an event that aims to bring the excitement of Spartan hoops to the community. USC Upstate will hold its inaugural Morgan Square Madness at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Morgan Square Madness, as its name implies, will involve the installation of a half-court basketball floor in Spartanburg’s iconic Morgan Square.
“We set out to reimagine how to create a unique, memorable, and lasting experience for our USC Upstate students and our Spartanburg basketball programs,” said USC Upstate Director of Athletics Daniel Feig. “We wanted to think big and outside of the box. As it turns out, outside of the box became a square – Morgan Square to be exact. We are thrilled to be able to share a major event like this with our greater Spartanburg community.”
During the show, the 2022-23 USC Upstate men’s and women’s basketball teams will be introduced. Fans will enjoy music from DJ Sha, an appearance by the USC Upstate cheerleading team, live video, contests, giveaways for the first 150 children (ages 12 and under) and 250 USC Upstate students and adults. The event will be emceed by J-Dew. Morgan Square Madness is free and open to the public!
“Sports have a way of bringing together communities,” said USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. “When I see our student-athletes compete, I’m reminded of many things I love about USC Upstate—our passion, creativity, collaboration spirit, and commitment to creating transformative opportunities for the people and communities we serve. My hat’s off to our Athletics, Student Affairs, Development, and Alumni teams for their hard work and innovation. This is certainly an event you won’t want to miss!”
The USC Upstate basketball programs, both the men and women, enjoyed its best season as members of the Big South Conference last season. The men, led by head coach Dave Dickerson starting his fifth season at the helm, battled their way to the Big South Conference Tournament semifinal and notched a record number of regular season Big South victories last year.
The Upstate women, under the direction of new head coach Jason Williams, are coming off a record year for wins in the Division I era and will have a host of new and exciting players for fans to get to know in 2022-23.
In addition to basketball, Morgan Square Madness is an event supported by many community leaders including Denny’s, Milliken, Pinnacle Hospitality, McMillan Pazdan Smith, Morgan Square Hospitality, Audacy, Fox Sports Spartanburg and other anonymous donors.
“Downtown Spartanburg has attracted tremendous investment and energy during the past few years,” said Lenny Mathis, senior associate athletic director for external operations. “We’re so excited to showcase our talented student-athletes and simultaneously help to build on the momentum that is helping our community to thrive. We look forward to engaging with many youth groups during this event and connecting with our students in new and exciting ways.”
For more information on the event, email LDMathis@uscupstate.edu. For ticket information for the upcoming season, click here to complete a basketball ticket interest form.
Morgan Square Madness kicks off a new-look Family Weekend on campus! The full rundown for Family Weekend is outlined below and for more details go to www.uscupstate.edu/familyweekend.
USC UPSTATE FAMILY WEEKEND
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
6pm Morgan Square Madness
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
10am Fab Friday (USC Upstate Enrollment Services)
5pm Rocktoberfest (USC Upstate Student Affairs)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
9am Josh Lee 5K (Click here to register, fundraiser for USC Upstate Cross Country/Track & Field)
1:30pm Open House (USC Upstate Enrollment Services)
2pm Family Day Lecture
3pm FamilyFest (Click here for details and to register, Lawn in front of the University Readiness Center)
4pm USC Upstate women’s soccer vs. Longwood (Free admission, County University Soccer Stadium)
7pm USC Upstate men’s soccer vs. Radford (Free admission, County University Soccer Stadium)
