Modern touches in store for Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum

When it comes to the upcoming Littlejohn Coliseum renovation, which begins Monday, Clemson athletics director Dan Radakovich has received one question through email more than any other: Will there be handrails in the new facility?

The answer, he tells everyone, is yes.

While that’s one good inquiry, there are many more questions surrounding the $63.5 million project that changes everything fans recognize at Littlejohn:

Is that enough money to give the 47-year-old building a true face-lift, and will the school getting true bang for its buck?

Does Littlejohn really need to be gutted and remodeled, and who will benefit the most from the renovation?

When Radakovich began putting the plans together to redo the suites and press box in Memorial Stadium, he realized it was going to cost more than originally believed, and he had to go back and ask for more financial approvals from the various boards.

He didn’t let that happen with Littlejohn. And he said the school also learned from the 2003 renovation that things can go wrong if you’re not careful.

“We put in a little more money in first iteration through that process,” Radakovich said. “Haven’t changed a thing. The idea that we skinnied down Littlejohn really isn’t the case.”

There will be all new – and fewer – seats. Capacity will fall from 10,000 to 8,000 after renovations. An updated scoreboard will hang from the rafters. There will be a club level. The renovations include a 12,000-square foot events area and “world-class offices and practice facilities.”

This face-lift will give the arena a needed open and modern look that the last renovation didn’t cover.

“We have OK facilities now, but to be on par with the teams that people want us to beat, we’ve got to improve,” men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell said. “And I think that’s going to really help.”

Littlejohn isn’t shrinking in seats because fan attendance throughout college basketball is dropping.

However, you can’t ignore the lack of people showing up. In 2010, the attendance average rose to 9,464. This season, it topped off at an average of 7,635.

“If you build it, they will come” is only for the movies. In this age, with so many other things to do than go to a basketball game on a Tuesday night, you have to win – even if folks aren’t always in love with Brad Brownell’s defensive style.

Baseball received several additions to Doug Kingsmore Stadium this year, and an all-new players building is still going up.

“More than anything, you’ve got to create excitement within your program,” Brownell said. “That’s one of the things that you notice with football: What can we do to be better? How are we helping them do better?

“They see positive change. They see new locker rooms. They see a new dining hall. They see a new recruiting center. They see all of these things happen and there’s something different and new for them. Well, there hasn’t been anything new for me. More than me, there hasn’t been anything new for my players. Pretty soon, after a while, that’s hard on your players.”

New, cooler amenities will help recruiting, but that impact can be over exaggerated.

“The guys on the team will feel good about being Clemson basketball players and really good about, ‘Hey, we want to be good at basketball here,’” Brownell said. “Obviously, what we’re doing, spending $60 million, it’s going to be great. I think it’s going to be a fantastic arena. I think it’s going to be a great environment for fans.”

Keep basketball in the dark while football and baseball get everything, and who says the current coach sticks around? Then, what kind of quality replacement would want to come to a school with that reputation?

There are too many positives – for both programs looking to get back to a high level – to not make Littlejohn something brighter and more promising.

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Modern touches in store for Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum."