U.S.C. Baketball
Homecourt History

The Carolina Gymnasium

Since 1908, South Carolina teams have called three buildings and possibly an outdoor court home over the years.

In 1908, South Carolina played its first collegiate game, losing a close 21-19 contest to state rival Furman in Columbia. Though the game has been documented to have been played in Columbia, there is no evidence to prove that it was played indoors; thus, the belief that South Carolina's first five collegiate games were played outside.

The current Longstreet Theater was finished in 1850 and served as a chapel, auditorium, hospital, arsenal, armory and science building before being converted into a gymnasium in 1893. In December of 1911, the gymnasium was finished to include spectator seats and the first contest played in what is now Longstreet Theater saw the Gamecocks down the Olympia YMCA, 33-5, on Jan. 7, 1911.

South Carolina played in the building until midway through the 1926-27 season, posting an overall mark of 70-38, winning almost 65% of its games over that span. The Gamecocks had only two losing seasons in the Carolina Gymnasium (1915, 1919), while notching .500 or better marks in 14 of the 16 years. In the 1913-14 season, South Carolina was 5-4-1 overall on the year, with all five wins coming at home in five overall matches for a perfect mark. In South Carolina history, the 1914 squad is one of only seven teams to go through a home season undefeated in either the Carolina Gymnasium, Fieldhouse, Coliseum, or the Colonial Center.

The Carolina Gymnasium was the home for South Carolina's first involvement in a conference - the Southern. The Gamecocks began competition in the Southern Conference in the 1922-23 season but did not play a conference game there until the following season when Georgia pulled out a 38-29 victory. USC went on to win seven of its next Southern Conference games there over the next three-plus seasons, before moving into the Carolina Fieldhouse, located across the street.

Located on the comer of Sumter and Greene Streets, the gymnasium was as such until a fire in the late 1960s destroyed part of the building. In 1976, the acoustics were improved and the building remodeled to its current use - a theater-in-the-round.

The Carolina Fieldhouse

Located just a stone's throw from the Carolina Gymnasium and literally across the street was the Carolina Fieldhouse - site of the Gamecock basketballers from 1927 through the 1967-68 seasons and some of the finest moments in Gamecock hoops history.

South Carolina had some of its finest teams inhabit the Fieldhouse, including the star-studded squads of the 1932-33 and 1933-34 teams. Counting back to three wins at home to end the 1931-32 season, the Gamecocks reeled off 31 straight wins, the streak falling at the hands of North Carolina, 32-31, on Feb. 9, 1935. The 1932-33 team finished the year 17-2, winning its last 15 games after starting the year 2-2, and capturing the Southern Conference Tournament. The Gamecocks kept the streak alive the following season, winning their next 17 games to push the overall streak to 32 and good enough for a perfect 17-0 mark heading into the tournament. A mumps breakout, though, decimated the roster and the Gamecocks fell in the first round of the tournament. Four weeks later, USC played national powerhouse Pittsburgh to end the season, downing Pitt, 38-35, to finish off USC's best record ever at 18-1.

The Gamecocks didn't waste any time in their new building, defeating Florida twice and Davidson just three days later to finish the 1926-27 season with a 3-0 mark at the Fieldhouse and 8-1 ledger at home overall. The Gamecocks went on to the finals of the Southern Conference Tournament that season, losing to Vanderbilt and finishing the year 14-4.

Overall, the Gamecocks posted .500 or better records for 31 of their 42 years in the famed Fieldhouse, including perfect marks in 1933 (8-0), 1934 (11-0) and 1943 (10- 0). The Fieldhouse was home to some heated rivalries, especially when conference reformation took place prior to the 1953-54 season and South Carolina became a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

As time went on, capacity- plus crowds of just over 3,200 frequented the cozy establishment to watch the Gamecocks square off with archrivals Clemson, North Carolina and N.C. State among others. The Fieldhouse was also home to the nation's top scorer in the 1956-57 season as Grady Wallace tickled the twine for 31.3 points a game that season when the Gamecocks finished 17-12, advancing to the finals of the ACC Tournament.

The Gamecocks posted a fine, 7-1 mark in their final year in the Fieldhouse (1967-68), with their last game there seeing the Wolfpack of N.C. State squeaking out a 55-54 decision on Mar. 2. The building burned down shortly after the end of the season in April, speeding up the process on what would soon become the basketball showcase in the South - the Carolina Coliseum.

The Carolina Coliseum

Since 1968, the Gamecocks were an amazing 362-119 on the court at Frank McGuire Arena in the Carolina Coliseum for a winning percentage of 75.3% .

It didn't take long for the 12,401 seat Carolina Coliseum to be known as "The House that Frank Built." With Head Coach Frank McGuire heading into his fifth season at the helm of the Gamecock basketball program, the timing of the Carolina Coliseum could not be better. With the USC squad on the verge of greatness, it could enjoy playing home tilts in one of the greatest facilities in the nation.

The Coliseum, located just two blocks from the Fieldhouse at the comer of Greene and Assembly streets, opened to a heart-pounding, 51-49 win for the Gamecocks over Auburn on Nov. 30, 1968. A sophomore (then first-year) guard John Roche pumped in a 22-foot jumper from the top of the key with time running out and the magic of McGuire's Coliseum would live on through today.

Heading into the 1993-94 season, the Gamecocks have now played 25 seasons at the Carolina Coliseum. The Coliseum has been a fine home to Gamecock basketball since 1968 and a thorn in the side of opponents to the tune of a 78% Gamecock winning percentage at home. In fact, the great fan support received over the years reached a pinnacle of its own last season as the three millionth fan walked through the gates in last season's second game of the year against Georgia Southern. Currently, over3,000,000 people have seen USC games over the years.

In the first season, the Gamecocks posted a 9-1 record at home, losing only to the Tar Heels. A year later, USC, oddly enough, would be a perfect 14-0 on opponents' home courts, losing two of 11 tilts at home. In the midst of UCLA's reign at the top of college basketball, South Carolina had taken away the pre- season number one slot in the country prior to the 1969-70 season. With a starting lineup of Roche, Bobby Cremins, John Ribock, Tom Owens and Tom Riker, the Gamecocks took the ranking into their home opener vs. Tennessee, only to lose 55-54 and never regain the top ranking.

Fans would see three-straight teams (1970-71-72) finish sixth in the final Associated Press poll, while the 1970-71 and 1972-73 teams had perfect 11-0 and 13-0 records, respectively at home with the 1971-72 squad posting an admirable 11-1 mark. In 23 years at the Carolina Coliseum, no team has done worse than a 64.3% winning tally there while seven squads have amazingly notched 90% or better records, including the 1987-88 team which had a 12-1 mark in Head Coach George Felton's second year.

In his final game - a Feb. 23, 1980 contest vs. Western Kentucky - McGuire again worked his magic. The Gamecocks pulled out a 73-65, double-overtime win that night to end McGuire's USC career. In McGuire's 12 seasons of coaching at the Carolina Coliseum, USC won 137 games and lost only 28 for a winning tally of 83% - a fitting mark for the Irishman in the "House that Frank Built." In fact, in March 1977, the playing facility of the Coliseum was dubbed "Frank McGuire Arena."

Since its construction in 1968, the Carolina Coliseum has been home not only to the Gamecocks and Lady Gamecocks, but has also been home to the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and College of Applied Professional Sciences, two arms of USC's academic community.

Even though Carolina Basketball moved to it's new home - The Colonial Center - on November 22, 2002, the Coliseum will always be "The House that Frank Built."

The Colonial Center

Ground-breaking for the University of South Carolina's new 330,000-square foot multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility, the Colonial Center, took place April 25, 2001, at a site located adjacent to the corner of Greene and Gadsen Streets in Columbia - just two blocks away from the Carolina Coliseum. The project, which started as an idea on the part of the athletics department, is the result of a cooperative effort on the part of USC, the state of South Carolina, the city of Columbia, Richland and Lexington Counties.

Beers Construction, which has worked on such facilities as Phillips Arena, the Georgia Dome and Turner Field in Atlanta, was the general contractor for the project. Fred Krenson, of Rosser and Associates, was the chief architect.

On November 22, 2002, over 17,000 fans gathered to witness the first game to be played in the new Colonial Center in which the Lady Gamecocks defeated rival Clemson by a final score of 72-58.

For more information about the Colonial Center, click HERE