The South Carolina women's basketball team left Cleveland with more than just its third NCAA championship trophy.
The undefeated Gamecocks also are taking most of the court used for last month's Women's Final Four at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse back home to Columbia, S.C.
The university has purchased the center-court logo, as well as additional panels of the court, for around $86,000, according to a statement provided by South Carolina administrator Maria Hickman to The State.
Each year, NCAA champions are offered the opportunity to purchase the court (or portions of it) from that year's Final Four. Hickman said the school has not yet made a decision for where to display logo, and it is still awaiting shipment.
Currently, the school displays the logos from its 2017 and 2022 victories in the lobby of Colonial Life Arena, where the team plays its home games. Hickman noted the lobby is running out of room.
"So, it's just a way for us to cement our history and to display it so that those fans who were able to attend, those who came to all the games in the CLA and helped them get to that moment, it’s just a way to show that appreciation,” Hickman said.
As for the additional panels, they have been sent to Artsman, a memorabilia company that specializes in creating collectible pieces out of game-used courts for purchase.
Artsman has been working with teams across the NCAA and NBA since 2016, when the company first collaborated with the Cleveland Cavaliers to create limited edition collectibles from their 2016 NBA championship.
Chris Rose, managing partner at Artsman, emphasized the importance and unique nature of these collectibles, describing them as vehicles "to help fans engage."
Rose discussed watching kids interact with relics from the courts on which their favorite teams played.
"I've witnessed where a little kid ... they see this is where they played on ... this is actually part of the court ... like, 'oh my god that is so cool,'" Rose said.
"What other sport has that?" Rose asked. "Football and baseball grass gets cut. Hockey ice melts. Courts can be 30 years old."
Artsman already has six products available for purchase from the 2024 Final Four court, including a mini court, a wood block, a desk frame and a logo pendant.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.