Littlejohn Coliseum: Clemson's Distinct Home Court Advantage

Littlejohn Coliseum is a throwback to the old ACC.

Once upon a time, the conference played home games in sweaty, noisy gyms like Carmichael Auditorium, Reynolds Coliseum, and Allen Fieldhouse.  The atmosphere in these buildings closely resembled what happens when you scream with a garbage can over your head.

With the potential for revenue exploding, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Maryland, and NC State built massive new arenas with luxury suites and upper decks.  While more people got to attend games, something was lost in the translation. 

At the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, most of the students sit in the upper tier.  The university was caught playing crowd noise over the speakers a few years ago.  It’s a great place to watch a game, no doubt, but not the same.

Clemson went a different route.  They chose to renovate Littlejohn in 2003 instead of building a bigger arena.  Littlejohn is perhaps the only venue in the league that can rival Cameron Indoor stadium for sheer noise.  A capacity crowd of 10,000 will make your teeth feel like they are shaking in a close game.

Clemson is a much, much better team at home than on the road.  The students sit practically on the court in the end zones.  Prior to the renovation, they actually stood on the floor, about eight rows deep behind each basket.

The other aspect of Littlejohn that sets it apart from other basketball experiences is the relative lack of diversity when it comes to color.  It’s all about orange.  The only orange tiger paw larger than the one at half-court is found a stone’s throw a way, at the 50 yard line in Death Valley.

You won’t see much of a rainbow in the crowd’s attire either.  If you ever get to go, try and get a ticket to a “Solid Orange” game.  Again, the only time you’ll see more is during the fall in the football stands.

Perhaps, coupled with the hiring of Oliver Purnell, the fact that Littlejohn Coliseum’s seating bowl has remained relatively intact has led to the resurgence of Clemson hoops.  Other schools have been happy to sacrifice tradition and a distinct home court advantage for greater gate receipts. 

Clemson is just as daunting a place to play now as it was in the 1990s, when they had their last outstanding teams.  The only real difference is that the new seats are a lot softer now.