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Swann Pavilion includes a players’ lounge and a mural of former Clemson players.
Photo by: DON MURET / STAFF (2)
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Swann Pavilion, Clemson’s new addition attached to Littlejohn Coliseum, has everything you’d expect from a major college basketball practice facility, with one additional, vital touch.
The practice facility alone accounted for half the cost of the arena’s $63.5 million renovation. The 13,000-square-foot gym covers a full court and three side shooting courts. Separately, 6,000 square feet of space is devoted to weight training and sports medicine space. In the players’ lounge, the bells and whistles extend to a pool table, Pop-A-Shot and Golden Tee games, as well as a mural of former Clemson players who distinguished themselves in the NBA on one of the walls.
But the 65,000-square-foot addition to the arena also stands out for what it means for recruiting efforts during home football weekends, according to Joe Simon, Clemson’s associate athletic director of facility management.
As part of the practice facility, AECOM and LS3P designed about 5,000 square feet of outdoor plaza space facing Memorial Stadium next door. Those areas are reserved for men’s and women’s basketball to entertain recruits in addition to Learfield’s Tiger Sports Properties for marketing purposes.
The Clemson tailgating experience rivals any school in the nation, Simon said. As a result, Swann Pavilion plays a critical role for using the school’s highly ranked football team to help boost the basketball program.
“Coaches were heavily involved in the design of this project, and a football game day is extremely important to our basketball program from a recruiting standpoint,” Simon said. “They’ve got a great spot right here and can see the stadium. They can feel the energy from the tailgating.
“It’s a basketball arena, but with its proximity to football, we had to think about how best to use the facility on game days. Previously, the arena was not open on football game days. Now, it will be.”
— Don Muret
