On Nov. 3, Clemson kicked off its basketball season at Littlejohn Coliseum in the midst of ongoing construction.
The project includes Littlejohn and the attached Swann Pavilion, which started in August and has continued through the start of the basketball season.
The construction aims to expand and modernize facilities to improve performance and conditioning for Clemson’s athletes.
“This project will add a new practice gym and will improve amenities and team support spaces for both men’s and women’s basketball,” Peter Knudsen, Clemson University Facilities director of planning and design, told The Tiger in an interview.
The plan will not affect games, according to the faculty. Portfolio team manager Robbie Phillips emphasized that the arena’s capacity and safety will not be impacted.
“The only inconvenience will be the lack of direct connection from the IPTAY intersection up to the Burton Gallery,” Phillips said.
However, the construction has spurred conversation among students. Ben Weiner, senior communications major, has been attending Clemson sports games for many years and is frustrated with the inconvenience caused by the construction.
Weiner explained that the renovations were “incredible things that will hopefully impact the basketball programs positively,” but noted that not all students participate in athletics, specifically him, which makes it “hard to fully appreciate the value of these improvements.”
Celia Cathlina, a freshman majoring in financial management, attends basketball games regularly and finds the construction to be an issue.
“I think it makes things a lot more hectic, especially for people who drive or people who need to navigate to specific places, like people who are handicapped,” Cathlina told The Tiger. “It makes it a lot more difficult for people to get around and function, especially when it’s so busy with basketball season.”
While safety is a priority for the project, some students have noticed certain unintended consequences of the work being done.
“The sidewalk on the way from campus to Littlejohn is closed so you have to walk in the street to get there and it’s dangerous,” Dylan Piazza, freshman civil engineering major, told The Tiger.
Troy Lupien, freshman genetics major, attends most basketball games as a member of the Basketball Pep Band. He sees the project as reinforcing Clemson’s “Construction University” reputation, but hasn’t had too many issues commuting.
Lupien explained that students used to come through the east gate, but are now redirected to the west gate. This has not been a “big issue” for Central Spirit, but “it’s also not easy on the eyes.”
Clemson has 12 more home games scheduled for the 2025-26 regular season. With some more competitive games later in the season, traffic and congestion are expected to increase. Lupien cited games against ACC rivals such as Louisville on Feb. 28.
Weiner’s past experiences attending basketball games reinforce this.
“In past seasons for games such as South Carolina, lines extended all the way around the arena, so I don’t know what will happen this year when it comes to those primetime matchups,” Weiner said.
The project is expected to be completed by October 2026, according to the University Facilities website.
