TD Arena (formerly Carolina First Arena)
Home of College of Charleston Cougars basketball and volleyball
Opened: 2008
Seating Capacity: 5,100
Location: Meeting Street and Burns Lane (between Calhoun Street and George Street) in Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
Games seen in Database Era: 39 between December 17, 2008 and September 3, 2013
Latitude: 32.785425 N
Longitude: 79.934367 W
Distance from my house point-to-point (as the crow flies): 83.62 miles
Driving time from my house: 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes)
The College of Charleston first joined Division I in the 1991-92 school year straight out of the NAIA where it had been successful under John Kresse. And it took very little time for Kresse to become successful in Division I, as the Cougars made the NCAA Tournament in only their third season in Division I and then the Round of 32 in only their sixth full Division I season in 1997. In 1999, the Cougars dominated in their first Southern Conference season, earning a #8 seed. C of C complained about having to face Duke in the second round, which had dominated the ACC that season. As it turns out, the Cougars did not have to worry about that as they lost to #9 seed Tulsa in their first game. College of Charleston has since not returned to the NCAA Tournament.
But unlike most of their neighbors, C of C established itself as a school that cared about mid-major basketball. And while their old building (which would be named after Kresse) was much more suitable than facilities at places like Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, and comparable to Wofford, it was not suited for a school where basketball was the top sport. And unlike the Millis Center in High Point which is also at a basketball-first school, C of C basketball has a much bigger student body and has the full backing of the Charleston community. An arena with mostly wooden bleachers that seated just over 3,000 would not cut it for a rising mid-major. In its final years, John Kresse Arena became similar to Kimbel Arena's final years at Coastal Carolina: season tickets were on a waiting list with individual tickets often hard to get even when the team was struggling. College of Charleston needed a better arena. And in 2008, they would get one with the arrival of Carolina First Center.
Only it would not be known as Carolina First Center very long, as the Carolina First Bank wanted to differentiate the arena with its corporate office complex in Greenville, and thus the new C of C building opened as Carolina First Arena. But as happens all too often with corporate banks, the local bank got bought out by the bigger international corporation in the Canadian-owned Toronto-Dominion Bank, and thus the building became TD Arena as it turned two years old. That is the danger of having a financial institution serving as the naming-rights sponsor for your arena. This gives the place a corporate feel, although not as much as at South Carolina's Colonial Life Arena. The ties with ESPN and corporate sponsors helps net TD Arena the annual Charleston Classic, even though the hosts are only allowed to participate once every four years. With many events going on, the arena has become a big revenue generator for "The College". Tickets are on the expensive side for a mid-major team, at $20 for most SoCon weekend games (compared to SEC member South Carolina where upper deck seats are always $15). Parking in downtown Charleston is not cheap either. So if you are going to pay a lot, then you need to get a lot from TD Arena.
Seating Capacity: C+
It seems like College of Charleston should do better in this category. After all, TD Arena is about 50 percent bigger than the old John Kresse Arena. And for that matter, TD Arena ranks third of ten South Carolina mid-major basketball arenas in seating capacity behind only crosstown Citadel and Winthrop. But we are grading on mid-major basketball as a whole, and not just South Carolina arenas which are generally not very good on a national standard for basketball. Within the SoCon (prior to the imminent defections that includes C of C), TD Arena is actually in the bottom half ranking 7th of 12 SoCon arenas. And while tickets are more readily available at TD Arena than they were at John Kresse Arena, it is a close race for highest percentage of capacity sold in the SoCon between C of C, powerhouse Davidson, and the undersized Elon. While when grading college work a "B" is often given for average work, technically a "C" means average. And the seating capacity of TD Arena translates to roughly above average from what you would expect at this level. And therefore, the grade in this category is a C+
Quality of Seats: B+
While not the padded seats that have become standard throughout college basketball, the plastic seats at TD Arena work just fine. All seats here are chairback seats except for bleachers in the student section which works better for standing students. Every seat at TD Arena is reasonably comfortable and positioned at a good angle towards the court. And the small upper deck at TD Arena works very well, and not much worse than the seats downstairs. The only seats to stay away from here are the downstairs seating on the baseline near the main entrance, where the basket support obstructs visibility. If you have to choose between lower baseline seating and even upper baseline seating, always go with the upper seating. Even on the baseline you have a better view of the action than down low behind the basket.
Attractiveness/Uniqueness: B-
The arena is circular, which gives it a slight generic feel. But it is nothing like the Colonial Life Arena, which is a bit cold and lifeless in its shape. TD Arena at least has a nicer looking upper deck that hangs as a balcony over the lower bowl seating, and the arena is painted nicely. Everything in the arena is new and modern looking without being generically so. The arena is best viewed during the day, when sunlight comes through the windows on the north side of the arena and neighboring buildings in historic Charleston can be seen. The modern arena manages to fit in nicely with its historic surroundings. The seating bowl itself is nothing special however, but overall the building looks decent.
Concessions: C+
Concessions stand quality is not too bad here for a mid-major, although the selection is nowhere near as good as at a bigger arena like the USC stadiums. And when there is no pizza and Chick-Fil-A as is the case for the early sessions of the Charleston Classic or women's games, the selection and quality of food can get downright bad here. And the prices are only slightly cheaper than the professional stadiums, with most of the candy available being movie theater king-sized candy so you have to pay more. Most of the concessions at TD Arena are good enough, but it is definitely not the arena's strongest area/
Parking: F
As I mentioned in my intro here, there are three ways I evaluate parking:
The first is how easy in and out it is to find parking. Remember, this is downtown Charleston. Many streets are one way, with most of them not being very wide. The streets in Charleston were typically built and designed in the horse-and-buggy days. That is great for tourists walking around the downtown area, but not if you are driving to a basketball game. And to find the right places to park can be a challenge, particularly for day games as is often the case in the Charleston Classic. And when hundreds of cars are leaving those spaces at once it can be challenging as well, particularly the areas collecting hourly fees along the way. And then there was the time where my car got stuck on a barrier in the St. Phillip Garage at the Tennessee game, and getting it out of the space left scratches still visible over a year later. So it is definitely not easy in and out here.
Another category is how much parking there is near the arena. If you are lucky, you can occasionally find a spot in the George Street surface lot which is just over a 500 feet walk from the main entrance of TD Arena. But that lot has hourly rates charged 24/7, and getting back onto George Street can be especially difficult. Most other lots are between quarter and half mile away. So once again, TD Arena comes up short as there is little parking found close by.
The next evaluation comes from how affordable the lots are, and how much free parking is available. Again, this is downtown Charleston where parking is at a premium. If you arrive early and get lucky, you might indirectly get free parking. The C of C garages usually stop being manned in the evening, so if you get there early before there is anybody collecting money you might pull out without paying anything. Otherwise, most of the time you will be paying $5 event parking at a C of C garage, the same price you pay at a South Carolina game. Only here this is for mid-major basketball and you might be paying slightly more for tickets as well. And if you are in a city lot, you will be paying an hourly rate which generally will cost you even more (typically between six and eight dollars, although it can be as much as 12 if you are there for a longer period of time). So generally parking is not cheap here.
So to summarize, the accessibility of parking getting in and out is difficult with most spaces being a long walk away across downtown, and it is not cheap either. As a result, there is unfortunately only one grade TD Arena can receive for this category.
Lighting: B+
Lighting here is very good for college basketball, and close to professional quality as well. The whole stands are well lit as well, unlike some places such as Winthrop where you can't always see too well in the distance when going around the stands. And it is even better in the day when the sunlight is coming through the windows. I often see family members of the teams in the Charleston Classic bringing good cameras to TD Arena, and the arena is very well suited for those who like to take pictures. It is not quite professional level lighting, and not any better than that of the Colonial Life Arena. But again, that is a SEC arena so for a SoCon/CAA arena TD Arena is not too bad.
Fans: A-
Crosstown rival The Citadel has often not liked College of Charleston, with Bulldog fans feeling that C of C has too much of an advantage not having to sponsor football like most of the rest of the SoCon. That probably has to do with some of the reason behind College of Charleston wanting out of the Southern Conference this past year.
But not having football is why College of Charleston has the best basketball atmosphere in South Carolina. This is the team C of C fans live for, and it shows from the student body and season ticket holders alike. The students are generally very vocal and often paint up for games, and use a large number of distractions during free throws (as shown above at the Western Carolina game in 2012). College of Charleston's commitment to basketball over having a football team is the likely reason behind everything being expensive at TD Arena compared to its neighbors. But it also makes for good fan support, with College of Charleston frequently outdrawing its local rivals as well as a minor league hockey team to be the most followed team in the winter in the Lowcountry. Fans here stand until the first basket, a tradition also done at Campbell and Southern Illinois. Unlike many mid-majors, the season ticket holders are not just old people who sit.
All of the fans here make their presence known. My only downgrade here as for TD Arena not getting a full A grade is that fans here are notoriously late arriving. The parking situation probably has a lot to do with that however.
Other Stuff: B
The arena staff are mostly friendly here, as opposed to those of South Carolina's stadiums in Columbia. The arena feels professional without being overbearingly so. The layout of the concourse and lobby is very good for getting fans in and out around the arena, as opposed to after the game in the parking garages. And as an arena less than five years old, TD Arena has a lot of modern qualities to it. My only two qualms here are the lack of services on the concourse in the upper deck, and the lack of visibility for all monitor boards in TD Arena. If you are seated on the east baseline near the entrance, you cannot see the stat board during the game. If you are seated on the west baseline above the students, you cannot see the video board. Perhaps the most accessible time to visit TD Arena is during the Charleston Classic or the minor postseason events, which have general admission seating.
Summary: In making comparisons of mid-major college basketball arenas to international tourist spots, TD Arena is a bit like what I have heard Iceland is like. It is a great place to visit every now and then, and once you are actually inside the arena you will not be disappointed. It is a first-class arena for mid-major basketball. But it is too expensive to see on a regular basis. A typical conference weekend game for just one person (never mind if you are coming with a family) can cost about $35 between a ticket, parking, and concessions. That is about double the cost of most mid-majors in this state. It is affordable for a few games a year, but not for several.
And if we are going to continue the Iceland comparisons, remember that Iceland eventually went bankrupt went its banks failed. And this arena of course is sponsored by banks, and is trying to continue to create growth with a move to the Colonial. With the CAA's defections of VCU, Old Dominion, and George Mason, the Cougars may not be landing in a much better home than there old one. But they will have to travel more, and you just do not want to see the
sports bubble burst when making this change.
But I hope it goes well for College of Charleston, a school that otherwise has done things the right way by not having football and putting its emphasis on basketball like a mid-major should. So if you live in South Carolina, it is definitely worth a visit to TD Arena. Perhaps not as much for the Charleston Classic anymore, as that event has begun to over-rely on weak power conference schools rather than good mid-majors (invitations by ESPN that are also likely financially motivated). But a visit to a C of C basketball game is a must-see because of the great basketball atmosphere here. But if you like going to basketball on a more frequent basis, trips to CSU Field House (court-side bleacher seats only seven dollars for the Big South regular season champions) or McAlister Field House ($10 for most seats) may be better bang for the buck. If C of C can thrive in the CAA without raising prices, they could also be good bang for the buck as well at TD Arena.
Overall GPA: 2.575
