Barfield: CCU vs. USC is coming

CONWAY | The athletic impasse, at least for the time being, appears to be over between Coastal Carolina University and its big brother in Columbia.

State Rep. Liston Barfield, R-Aynor, has helped facilitate a relationship between Coastal and University of South Carolina officials that could see the schools soon playing each other in football, basketball and baseball, officials said Wednesday.

The Gamecocks have been mostly unwilling to schedule the Chanticleers in the three most prominent sports since Coastal became independent in 1993. The schools have never met in football and have played just once in basketball and three times in baseball since Coastal broke away from the USC system.

Coastal was founded in 1954 and became a branch campus of South Carolina six years later, maintaining those ties until the Coastal Educational Foundation and Horry County Higher Education Commission began the push for Coastal to gain independence in 1991.

The last time the schools met in one of the revenue sports was in 2002 at Baseball at the Beach, an annual tournament in Myrtle Beach. However, that could be about to change.

“They are now scheduling,” Barfield said. “I think everything has been resolved, and ... all the coaches are talking now. It is my understanding that the coaches at [South] Carolina have been told to look at scheduling Coastal.”

Barfield said he aided the process by convincing a South Carolina board of trustees member who was opposed to the schools playing each other that it would benefit the entire state and both athletic departments to allow it to happen. He did not name the trustee.

Once that was done, Barfield said, there wasn't anything keeping the schools from starting negotiations.

“Everything is now up to the athletic directors and the coaches in terms of who they play and when they play,” he said.

“I think it's great for Carolina and it's great for Coastal. There are a lot of things we can do that will benefit USC. There are a lot of things USC can do that will benefit us. I think we'll work together better than we have since Coastal became an independent university. It's a shame it took so long, but I'm glad the axe has been buried and all of that is behind us now. We're working together in a way we should have been all along.”

The next opening on South Carolina's football schedule will be in 2016, and Coastal is a candidate to fill that slot, Barfield said. However, a slot may open in 2011 that could go to the Chants, he said.

The schools' athletic directors, Coastal's Hunter Yurachek and USC's Eric Hyman, had an informal meeting to discuss the issue. Yurachek described that meeting as positive and productive.

“The door is open,” Yurachek said. “From a football standpoint right now they do not have any openings between now and 2016. Eric stated in our meeting that we would be their first option if somebody fell off their schedule.”

The Gamecocks will play one game against an in-state FCS (formerly I-AA) opponent in each of the next four years: Furman in 2010, South Carolina State in 2011, Wofford in 2012 and The Citadel in 2013. Furman is also scheduled for 2014.

Coastal has played three major-college opponents – Penn State, Kent State and Clemson – over the past two seasons. The Chants are already scheduled to visit West Virginia in 2010 and Georgia in 2011.

South Carolina hasn’t been entirely opposed to playing against Coastal. The schools’ women’s basketball teams met during the 2004-05 season, their softball teams met in Conway last season, their volleyball teams met last August, their track teams regularly compete against each other and their men’s soccer teams will meet in a spring scrimmage this April.

But they haven’t shared the field regularly in the three biggest sports.

They have played just twice in basketball. The last time was during the 1993-94 season, when Coastal won 88-74. They have played 15 times in baseball. The Gamecocks hold a 10-5 advantage in the series, winning in 2001 and 2002.

Coastal baseball coach Gary Gilmore has repeatedly stated his interest in playing the Gamecocks. He struggles to find quality, non-conference opponents willing to play the Chants, who are ranked eighth in the nation by Baseball America, on a yearly basis. Gilmore believes Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner is equally interested in restarting their series.

Coastal President David DeCenzo believes that getting the Gamecocks on his school’s athletic schedules could have far-reaching benefits for the entire university.

“It’s just taking us to another level,” he said. “I imagine that as our students get wind of this, the higher level of competition will bring more excitement for our students on campus. As that excitement grows it’s going to help us in recruiting our student body. We see this as being a tremendous opportunity for us.”

State Rep. Liston Barfield, R-Aynor, has helped facilitate a relationship between Coastal and University of South Carolina officials that could see the schools soon playing each other in football, basketball and baseball, officials said Wednesday.

The Gamecocks have been mostly unwilling to schedule the Chanticleers in the three most prominent sports since Coastal became independent in 1993. The schools have never met in football and have played just once in basketball and three times in baseball since Coastal broke away from the USC system.

Coastal was founded in 1954 and became a branch campus of South Carolina six years later, maintaining those ties until the Coastal Educational Foundation and Horry County Higher Education Commission began the push for Coastal to gain independence in 1991.

The last time the schools met in one of the revenue sports was in 2002 at Baseball at the Beach, an annual tournament in Myrtle Beach. However, that could be about to change.

“They are now scheduling,” Barfield said. “I think everything has been resolved, and ... all the coaches are talking now. It is my understanding that the coaches at [South] Carolina have been told to look at scheduling Coastal.”

Barfield said he aided the process by convincing a South Carolina board of trustees member who was opposed to the schools playing each other that it would benefit the entire state and both athletic departments to allow it to happen. He did not name the trustee.

Once that was done, Barfield said, there wasn't anything keeping the schools from starting negotiations.

“Everything is now up to the athletic directors and the coaches in terms of who they play and when they play,” he said.

“I think it's great for Carolina and it's great for Coastal. There are a lot of things we can do that will benefit USC. There are a lot of things USC can do that will benefit us. I think we'll work together better than we have since Coastal became an independent university. It's a shame it took so long, but I'm glad the axe has been buried and all of that is behind us now. We're working together in a way we should have been all along.”

The next opening on South Carolina's football schedule will be in 2016, and Coastal is a candidate to fill that slot, Barfield said. However, a slot may open in 2011 that could go to the Chants, he said.

The schools' athletic directors, Coastal's Hunter Yurachek and USC's Eric Hyman, had an informal meeting to discuss the issue. Yurachek described that meeting as positive and productive.

“The door is open,” Yurachek said. “From a football standpoint right now they do not have any openings between now and 2016. Eric stated in our meeting that we would be their first option if somebody fell off their schedule.”

The Gamecocks will play one game against an in-state FCS (formerly I-AA) opponent in each of the next four years: Furman in 2010, South Carolina State in 2011, Wofford in 2012 and The Citadel in 2013. Furman is also scheduled for 2014.

Coastal has played three major-college opponents – Penn State, Kent State and Clemson – over the past two seasons. The Chants are already scheduled to visit West Virginia in 2010 and Georgia in 2011.

South Carolina hasn’t been entirely opposed to playing against Coastal. The schools’ women’s basketball teams met during the 2004-05 season, their softball teams met in Conway last season, their volleyball teams met last August, their track teams regularly compete against each other and their men’s soccer teams will meet in a spring scrimmage this April.

But they haven’t shared the field regularly in the three biggest sports.

They have played just twice in basketball. The last time was during the 1993-94 season, when Coastal won 88-74. They have played 15 times in baseball. The Gamecocks hold a 10-5 advantage in the series, winning in 2001 and 2002.

Coastal baseball coach Gary Gilmore has repeatedly stated his interest in playing the Gamecocks. He struggles to find quality, non-conference opponents willing to play the Chants, who are ranked eighth in the nation by Baseball America, on a yearly basis. Gilmore believes Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner is equally interested in restarting their series.

Coastal President David DeCenzo believes that getting the Gamecocks on his school’s athletic schedules could have far-reaching benefits for the entire university.

“It’s just taking us to another level,” he said. “I imagine that as our students get wind of this, the higher level of competition will bring more excitement for our students on campus. As that excitement grows it’s going to help us in recruiting our student body. We see this as being a tremendous opportunity for us.”