The first-year Greensboro Swarm has filled a niche in this basketball-rich community. It’s due in part to the Fieldhouse, formerly a small, nondescript building next to the Greensboro Coliseum that’s been transformed into a cozy NBA D-League home court.
On a 70-degree Saturday afternoon in mid-February, a near-capacity crowd of 1,785 chose to come inside and watch the Swarm beat the Reno Bighorns. The demographics were varied — white, black, Hispanic, Asian, kids, seniors, groups — all attending the game at the intimate 2,100-seat venue.
To accommodate the Swarm, a Charlotte Hornets affiliate owned by the NBA team, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex spent $6 million to rebuild the old Pavilion. Built largely with fabric and tin in 2003, the building typically booked flea markets and RV shows, plus the ACC FanFest.
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The Fieldhouse emerged from a $6 million rebuild to become home to the Greensboro Swarm.
Photo by: DON MURET / STAFF
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After Greensboro landed the Swarm in the fall of 2015, the transformation began, turning a structure initially built for $625,000 into a professional basketball facility. By all accounts, it’s been a successful conversion and the right fit for D-League play.
“It feels like a fieldhouse building,” said Scott Johnson, the coliseum’s deputy director. “The fan base is passionate. From comments and surveys we’ve done, they love the tight, small environment. And they have really identified with the team being the minor league affiliate of the Hornets.”
The Swarm has sold about 700 season tickets, surpassing its initial projections of 500, Swarm President Steve Swetoha said. The team posted three sellouts among its first 14 home games. D-League teams play 48 games, split evenly between home and the road.
In Greensboro, the highest-priced inventory, 76 courtside seats, is sold out as season tickets priced at $65 and $60 a game. Other season prices run from $55 a game for Courtside Outer seats to $7 a game for Baseline Bleachers. Single-game tickets start at $10 for those bench seats behind one basket.
“We’ve had great reviews,” Swetoha said. “Our fans are really happy with it. I think they’re surprised. People walking in for the first time are really amazed by how it turned out, so that’s a plus for everybody — us, the city and the coliseum complex.”
At this matinee, a midafternoon tipoff to accommodate Reno’s travel schedule, the crowd was loud and engaged. With only 10 rows of seating along the sidelines, it’s not difficult to hear coaches shouting plays and players voicing disagreement with referees.
“That’s what’s cool about this setup,” Johnson said. “Even on a night when you have only 800 to 900 people, it looks and sounds great.”
As part of the retrofit, a concrete foundation was poured and the building’s original structural trusses were sunk into the ground to convert the venue into a permanent facility. The arched-roof design stayed in place after a new permanent roof was installed.
The exposed ductwork overhead was painted blue and made into an architectural feature. Hornets and Swarm banners adorn the walls behind both baskets.
In addition, there’s 10,000 square feet of new space, used for Swarm offices, a media room, home and visitor locker rooms and weight training and conditioning space in the back of house and, upfront, a new lobby and ticket office.
The Hornets paid for both the basketball court and training room equipment, a total cost of about $150,000, Johnson said.
A modern touch is the LED sport lighting system, an upgrade over the traditional lighting still intact next door at the 21,000-seat coliseum.
The Fieldhouse’s retractable seating system from Irwin Manufacturing, a $750,000 investment, includes chairback seats and bench seats. The design provides accessibility, allowing a full loop around the building by walking beneath the seating structure.
“Next year, we’re hoping to grow our season-ticket numbers,” Swetoha said. “It’s a unique product for our market. It’s been a great relationship with the coliseum, and we look forward to continuing it for a long time.”
