Gamecocks to Travel to Japan Later This Month

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) – South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley will take the Gamecocks to Tokyo, Japan, for three exhibition games this summer. The trip, which spans June 27 to July 5, includes three exhibition games against the Japan National Team. It will be the Gamecocks’ first international trip under Staley.

“We’ve been looking for a trip like this for a while, and I’m glad this worked out for us,” Staley said. “We have a solid team for next season, and this will give us an opportunity to get everyone experience in a good competitive environment without it being a pressure competition. Some of our young players will get some great experience playing internationally, and also it will be some of our players’ first time leaving the country. It’ll be educational both in basketball and personally for our program.”

Per NCAA rules, the Gamecocks are allowed 10 team practices to prepare for the trip, the first of which was Mon., June 5. South Carolina and the Japan National Team, which gave the Americans a first-half scare in the 2016 Rio Olympics, will square off on June 30, July 2 and July 4.