Tanner updates ops building, Brian Bowen, and SEC review

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USC athletics director Ray Tanner met with members of the media today and provided an update on a few key topics.

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USC's Building and Ground's subcommittee of the Board of Trustees presented some photographs and a quick progress update of the forthcoming football operations center. Tanner classified the project as "on time and on budget."

"Coach Muschamp and I have not had a lengthy conversation, but my hope is that he'll be very busy and we'll be playing and we'll move in the first of '19," said Tanner.

The Gamecocks' athletics director also noted that over $20 million had been raised as part of USC's "4th quarter drive" fundraising project for the operations center. USC's goal has been to raise $30 million.

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Tanner was asked about USC forward Brian Bowen and the ongoing process to seek his reinstatement by the NCAA.

"It’s moving along. Chance Miller’s done a wonderful job handling that. I think ya’ll know everything I know based on what has been reported about the process and the way it’s handled. He’s submitted his name and he’ll go through the process to see where he’s been projected in the draft."

While South Carolina's administration is doing everything possible to provide the necessary information to the NCAA to speed the process, it's ultimately going to be the NCAA's call as to when a verdict comes down. There is not anything that USC can do to speed things up from that standpoint.

"No, there really isn’t," said Tanner. "They’ve got to do their work and we’re on their timeline. Hopefully we’ll have the information that will work. He’ll get some information for his projection in the NBA, too."

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After a highly-publicized flap between Missouri and South Carolina's women's basketball programs earlier in the year, the SEC mandated a review of USC's game day security inside Colonial Life Arena after South Carolina's internal review turned up no evidence of what was alleged by since-fined Missouri AD Jim Sterk. That review has not taken place yet, but is on the way soon.

"We’re having conversations right now with the SEC office. They've set a date to come to campus in early May," said Tanner. "They’ve asked us for some information on our basketball game day protocol that we’ve provided."

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