Following the Clemson men’s basketball team’s second consecutive season without a tournament appearance, the University has announced plans to renovate Littlejohn Coliseum to accommodate a team that did appear in a 2023 National Tournament: Clemson ice hockey.
Despite being ranked No. 31 of 32 total teams that competed in the National Tournament earlier this month, the Clemson club ice hockey team finished with an impressive 2-1-0 record, which did not go unnoticed by the University.
“Funding a Division 1 hockey program has been an ongoing discussion for us,” a Clemson spokesperson said in a statement last week. “After watching the team’s performance on a national level, we knew it was finally time to officially introduce hockey to Clemson, and the best way to start is to build a rink.”
When asked about the decision to renovate Littlejohn Coliseum as opposed to constructing a new stadium from scratch, it was said that Littlejohn could use some more action.
“Littlejohn Coliseum has been an integral part of Clemson’s campus since it was built in 1968,” the Clemson spokesperson said. “We know it would be impossible to ignore that history… but we also know that it deserves to be represented by a team that wants to succeed.”
Construction is set to begin on May 5, 2023, immediately following the conclusion of finals week for the spring 2023 semester, and will be available for the beginning of the 2023-2024 season in September.
The men’s basketball team will now play their home games at D.W. Daniel High School starting next winter, as well as all seasons for the foreseeable future.