Timmons Arena near Greenville, SC

Basic Information

Stadium: Timmons Arena

Location: Travelers Rest, SC; north side of Greenville (34.91793, -82.43728)

Owner: Furman University

Primary sport: basketball

Year constructed: 1998

Listed capacity: 3500

Date last visited: March 2022

Arena information: https://furmanpaladins.com/sports/2019/6/6/timmons-arena.aspx

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

One of the newer NCAA Division I basketball arenas, Timmons Arena is a nice small basketball arena that is more functional than extravagant.  The arena did not seem to resonate noise very well when I came here, although it was hard to judge because I was here for a conference basketball tournament.  Thus, only a few people cheered at any given time, and I never got to hear what an entire crowd in full throat would sound like here.  The plastic seats are chair-back but not particularly comfortable.  Seats in the lower tier offer good views of the court, but the gradual grade means that seats in the upper tier seem rather distant.  The video boards are just projections onto screens.  This is not uncommon for small arenas but less than ideal.  In summary, you will never mistake Timmons for a top-tier basketball arena, but it competently serves the function for which it was designed.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: I came here for an NCAA Division II conference basketball tournament, so I don't have enough information to judge the Furman gameday atmosphere.  It was a good neutral site for the event I attended.

Seating: mostly plastic chair back seats; they are tight and unpadded.

Court View: the view is great from the lower tier of seats.  The upper tier seems rather distant with people on the walkway between the tiers blocking your view.

Audio/Video: the audio is loud and clear.  The video consisted only of a couple screens on either end of the court.  While I have seen worse, the video is not really up to present-day standards: good NCAA Division I arenas have a large scoreboard and videoboard over the court.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: concessions are near the arena entrances.  As I said in my review of Paladin Stadium next door, Furman University has some of the best hot dogs around.

Pedestrian Flow: double doors at only 2 points allow access from the concourse to the seating area, and the doors can be a bottleneck while entering or exiting.

Parking: thanks to Paladin Stadium's parking lots, there is plenty of parking nearby.  All of it was free for the event I attended.

Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC

Basic Information

Stadium: Littlejohn Coliseum

Location: Clemson, SC (34.68041, -82.84642)

Owner: Clemson University

Primary sport: basketball

Year constructed: 1968; extensive renovations in 2016

Listed capacity: 9000

Date last visited: December 2021

Coliseum information: https://clemsontigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/facilities/littlejohn-coliseum/

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Littlejohn Coliseum is a nice up-to-date basketball arena.  My seat was located right behind the visitor press box, and even though my view of the action seemed rather distant it wasn't a bad seat given its location.  The arena's orange and purple color scheme really pops.  The arena gets loud when the home team gets some momentum, as it should.  The 2016 renovation made the lower bowl less steep and "right-sized" the arena by removing some seats.  I have been here before the 2016 renovations and after, and the atmosphere is much more lively after.  Overall, I enjoyed my Tuesday evening here, and you probably will too.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: the energy in the arena ebbs and flows with the success of the home team.  Noise resonates nicely when the crowd gets into it.  I like being able to watch the team run past the VIP area into the arena on the video board right before the game.

Seating: chair back seats everywhere.

Court View: my seats were in some of the worst locations, but the view still wasn't that bad.

Audio/Video: nothing exceptional but definitely meets present-day power conference basketball standards.

Concessions/ Hot Dogs: located throughout the rather large concourse.  They serve mostly just the usual fare.  The menu is easy to read.  The hot dogs were satisfactory but nothing more. 

Pedestrian Flow: the concourse was expanded in the 2016 renovation, and it really helps here.  I had no trouble getting in or out or walking around the arena.

Parking: the large Memorial Stadium parking lots nearby are only for season ticket holders and paid-boosters.  If you want free parking, you will need to arrive early and park in one of the designated, smaller, more distant lots.

Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, TN

Basic Information

Stadium: Tucker Stadium

Location: Cookeville, TN (36.17811, -85.50615)

Owner: Tennessee Tech University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1966

Listed capacity: 16,500

Date last visited: September 2021

Stadium information: https://www.ttusports.com/inside_athletics/Facilities_Photos/Tucker_Stadium_Page

Summary Review: 2 stars (out of 5)

Tucker Stadium was built in 1966, and other than the video board and the playing surface, it does not seem to have changed much since then.  The all-bench seating is a real killer for people with back issues, and the 9-lane track around the field makes you feel distant from the action.  The gold color scheme on the stands and press box seems more mustard than gold to me.  The layout is odd with the locker rooms under the stands rather than in the end zones.  This layout means that fans and players criss-cross beneath the stands, which overly crowds an area that is rather dark and dismal to begin with.  I did enjoy the stadium's audio and video components; they are first class.  In summary, I still had a decent time here even though this stadium leaves much to be desired.  Tennessee Tech has some enthusiastic fans, and they deserve a better place to watch football than this.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: kind of an odd setting, you see city-like brick campus buildings out of the south end zone and private houses out of the north end zone.  I would love to own one of those houses!  The crowd was decent-sized, but it was engaged more by the audio/video system than by the game itself on the afternoon I came here.

Seating: almost entirely bench seating, and all seats are general admission.  This is rather unusual for FCS football, and not in a good way.

Field View: the track around the field is a problem because it increases the fans' distance from the action.  Most seats give a pretty good view, albeit a distant one.

Audio/Video: the video scoreboard is huge, one of the largest I have seen in FCS.  The sound system has good clarity and volume.  This is easily the strength of this stadium.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: located at several points beneath the stands (more on that in the next point).  They serve only the usual fare.  The hot dogs were a little flavorless and dry.

Pedestrian Flow: the area beneath the stands is a dark, gloomy, tunnel-like area that feels like being in the belly of an iron beast.  The locker rooms are also under the stands!  I had to take a detour to get around the area where the players were getting ready to take the field.  Some extra stairs that descend from the top of the stadium helps to ease traffic flow in the underbelly.

Parking: the campus does not require parking permits on weekends, so you can park literally anywhere.  I parked near the baseball stadium and walked across campus, but there were plenty of closer parking options.