TD Arena is a 5,100 seat multi-purpose
arena in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
,
United States that opened in 2008 and replaced
John Kresse Arena as the home of the
College of Charleston Cougars basketball and
volleyball teams. The South Financial Group of
Greenville purchased the naming rights to the new facility and it opened in 2008 under the Carolina First Arena name. After the 2010 sale of the corporation to
Toronto Dominion Bank, the arena's name changed to TD Arena. The playing surface is named John Kresse Court in honor of legendary Charleston men's basketball coach
John Kresse.
Originally to be named Carolina First Center, the facility was renamed Carolina First Arena to avoid confusion with the bank's south coast main offices in Charleston which are located in an office building by the same name.
The first game played at the arena on November 14, 2008 was a first round game of the inaugural ESPN
Charleston Classic
The Charleston Classic is a three-day invitational college basketball season-opening tournament held in Charleston, South Carolina. An ESPN-owned and operated event, it is contested at TD Arena, home of the College of Charleston Cougars. Each t ...
between
Texas Christian University and
Western Michigan University won by TCU 67-63.
Perhaps the biggest game in arena history was an 82-79 Charleston victory in overtime over then-No. 9 ranked and defending national champion North Carolina on January 4, 2010.
The arena not only plays host to Cougars' basketball games, but it also hosts many other campus events, including orientations, campus tours, award ceremonies, and external events (including concerts for Hootie & Spoleto Festival). The TD Arena is overseen by Richard Bouknight, Director of Operations. He is assisted by Nate Place, Assistant Director of Operations.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
*
TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)
*
TD Bank Ballpark (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
*
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Nebraska)
*
TD Bank Sports Center (Hamden, Connecticut)
References
External links
TD Arena
{{Colonial Athletic Association basketball venue navbox
College of Charleston Cougars basketball
College basketball venues in the United States
Basketball venues in South Carolina
Sports venues in Charleston, South Carolina
2008 establishments in South Carolina
Sports venues completed in 2008
College volleyball venues in the United States