By MONTE DUTTON

It is glittering and bright, this brand-new Timmons Arena. On a campus of stately brick buildings and picturesque fountains, Furman University’s reimagined basketball arena more closely resembles the fountains. A little of the Williamsburg architecture remains on the sides, but from the outside, the edifice is overwhelmingly glass and white. From the inside, it’s the purple and white, in the words of the fight song, that are floating on high.

The $40 million investment is transformative. The arena became the home of Furman basketball on Dec. 30, 1997. It was a multi-purpose facility that filled none of the purposes well. I went to an early game against Davidson, and I thought, well, the Paladins needed a place on campus to play, and this is definitely one. It was about 20 years later when I went to another one, and the experience was much better. Furman made the best of what it had. Chalk it up to the nostalgia of college days, but I rather missed the Auditorium downtown, which I thought I’d never do.

“This is where the team lives,” said men’s coach Bob Richey. “A lot of people talk about recruiting, but it’s also about your current players having an experience that matches what you want in a program. Where it affects recruiting is it will prevent us from losing players because of a perceived lack of commitment in the facility.

“We’ve taken what used to be seen as a negative and turned it into a positive.”

I thought of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” The porridge was too hot, and then it was too cold, and then it was just right. (I’m reasonably confident the kids of today don’t know much about fairy tales. The above probably reminds them of a Charmin commercial.)

On Monday, I entered through the loading dock, which hasn’t much changed. Then I sat down in a chair near the corner of the court and snapped a few photos. I found the new location of media row, which isn’t as good as the old courtside location but is still better than most. The last time I was at Clemson, I watched the game from the moon. No one attending a game at new Timmons is going to watch a game from farther away than an imaginary courtside maple tree. For a game to be more intimate, they’d have to install beds. The arena is compact and picturesque.

A crowd of fans attended ceremonies out front amid bright sunshine, dignitaries, players and coaches, a pep band and ample quantities of helium-filled balloons. Then everyone streamed inside, where they conjured up the fan experience with the aid of lemonade, sugar cookies and popcorn.

The existing arena structure, stripped down to bare bones, was reimagined and redesigned with a new seating bowl, including the Foster Courtside Seating Section, Spinx Student Section, club seats, and premium seating closer to the floor. A 360-degree concourse above the bowl features new concession areas. 
Behind the Spinx Student Section on the south end is a “student zone” for programming and events on game days. Timmons’ north side includes the Furman Family Zone, designed with the help of Children’s Museum of the Upstate.

The Newsom Family Suite Level provides eight private suites and two party suites. Two premium club spaces, the Ingram Courtside Club and the Herring VIP Suite, give Timmons new opportunities for game-day gatherings and special events. The renovation is also highlighted by the addition of the Rogues Hospitality Deck, an area to gather with friends and fellow fans.
The project also includes new coaches’ offices, team locker rooms, and film rooms for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. New visiting team locker rooms, bathrooms, staff offices, a media room, fully equipped catering kitchen, operations space, and storage throughout the building have also been added.

Alabama, 28-9 last season, visits for an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 26. On Sunday, Nov. 23, Clemson takes on the Furman women at Timmons.

It’s the same site but not the same place. Furman has built a venue that is not only modern but charming. It feels like home sweet home.

“It’s a people business,” said Richey, who coached the Paladins to a 25-10 record and a berth in the NIT last season. “This is the place where they live. This is the place where they practice. This is the place where they work. To make sure this is first class is critical.

“It’s going to make a statement to the community, to our current players, our former players, and we’re real excited about that.”

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