Arena #131: Dedmon Center - Radford vs. Georgia Southern

A new day brought us back to the state of Virginia, but this time to Radford, VA for a solid low-major non-conference matchup between the Radford Highlanders and the Georgia Southern Eagles.  There was some excitement for this game as Radford had upset the Texas Longhorns down in Austin just a couple weeks prior and was coming off a Big South tournament title and NCAA appearance the prior year.  The Dedmon Center on the Radford campus is a bit of a multi-purpose facility as all the stands appeared to be temporary and there was a bunch of dead space behind the stands on each baseline that probably housed an indoor track setup at one time.  I did find the giant inflatable highlander in the corner of the court to be a nice touch though 😊.  As for the on-court action, the game was as competitive as I hoped for throughout the contest.  Both teams were fairly evenly matched, through Radford did have the clear best player on the court in Ed Polite, Jr., even if he didn’t have his best game on this night.  In the end, the Highlanders were able to pull away and defend their home court against the Eagles from Statesboro, GA.

Entrance to the Dedmon Center - interesting almost octagonal shape to the facility 

Inside the Dedmon Center - temporary bleachers set up on all sides of the court allowing the building to be multi-purpose

Opening tip between the Highlanders and Eagles

A giant inflatable Highlander overlooking play on the court

Arena #129: Winthrop Coliseum - Winthrop vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore

After splitting time between North Carolina and South Carolina the previous day, it was time to do the same thing the following day starting with an early morning drive to Rock Hill, SC for an 11 am tip at one of my favorite low-major basketball schools, Winthrop University.  I’ve been a fan of their program ever since the Gregg Marshall days and their upset of Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament so it was cool to finally get to check out a bit of their campus and catch a game at the Winthrop Coliseum.  While I expected the 11 am Friday afternoon tip to bring with it a sparse crowd, it turns out it was some elementary school kids day so there were thousands of kids in the stands that helped create an atmosphere that was better than expected, if not a bit terrifying at the same time 😊.  The Winthrop Coliseum is a pretty old building with pretty limited concessions and space on the concourses.  However, there’s definitely not a bad seat in the building and I especially loved the backboards that hang from the ceiling rather than being on movable stanchions like most places these days.  The action on the court was reasonably entertaining as well, even if the Maryland-Eastern Shore Eagles were pretty much outmatched from tip to buzzer in this one.  Winthrop led a three-point barrage throughout the first half that got the crowd going and they maintained a comfortable lead from halftime all the way to the end of the contest.

The walk up to the main entrance to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, SC

Inside the old confines of the Winthrop Coliseum - note all the NCAA appearance banners hanging from the rafters

Opening tip between the Eagles and the Hawks

Winthrop for one of their numerous threes during the contest

Arena #127: G.B. Hodge Center - USC Upstate vs. Truett-McConnell

Now I thought Gore Arena was relatively small at a capacity of around 5,000, but I was in for treat heading to the G.B. Hodge Center on the campus of USC Upstate, which boasts the smallest D1 arena in the country with a listed capacity of a whopping 878 folks!  I think my high school gym held about as many, if not more, than the Hodge Center and my HS wasn’t even in the top division of enrollment in the state of Wisconsin!  There were no seats behind the baskets and only 7 rows of seats from baseline to baseline along the sidelines.  I mean the joint is so small, I couldn’t even find a ticket window, but there was a concession stand in the hallway at least.  I figured the crowd would be pretty sparse for this one being it was an 11 am tip on a pre-holiday Thursday against an NAIA school, but there were some local children’s organization in the crowd that at least provided some sound and atmosphere to the contest.  I must say my favorite part though was the personal touch of the team at the end of the game going over to the sideline and shaking hands with patrons as they exited the stands and thanking them for attending the game.  That kind of touch is how you build a small program with, I imagine a very small fanbase, into a memorable one.  As for the game itself, it was reasonably close early on, but the lower division kids from Truett-McConnell just couldn’t sustain any momentum against the Spartans, who ultimately won the matchup comfortably. 

Outside of the G.B. Hodge Center on the campus of USC Upstate

Opening tip between USC Upstate and Truett-McConnell

Inside the seating bowl of the smallest arena in NCAA D1 men's basketball - 878 patrons

USC Upstate attacking the basket in the first half

Arena #126: Gore Arena - Campbell vs. The Citadel

I couldn’t have been much more excited for our visit to Gore Arena, Arena #126, on the campus of Campbell University, not because I expected a particularly good game, but because Campbell has one of the best mascots in all of collegiate sports, the Fighting Camel!  Nothing like seeing a giant bronze statue of a camel in front of the arena to get you excited for a hoops game 😊.  Gore Arena must be fairly new and parts of it were classed up, but the plastic seats might have been some of the most uncomfortable I’ve experienced in my Mission 351 travels to date.  Additionally, being holiday break here at Campbell just like the earlier games on this trip, the student section was sparse, but I was pleased by the turn out from the remainder of the fan base as the arena was probably close to half full, including a good number of fans cheering for the opposing Citadel Bulldogs.  Plus, it was a fun chance to watch the current career scoring leader in NCAA D1, Chris Clemons, play in person.  Clemons, who would surpass 3,000 career points later in the season, certainly had a green light to shoot whenever and wherever.  However, his offense wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced Bulldogs attack throughout the evening to where The Citadel took home a victory over the Fighting Camels in this one.

The giant bronze fightin' camel out front of Gore Arena

Inside of Gore Arena

Opening tip between the Fightin' Camels and the Bulldogs

3,000 point career scorer, Chris Clemons, making one of his many trips to the free throw line