Carolina First Arena
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Dominion Bank Arena is a 5,100 seat multi-purpose arena
in Charleston, South Carolina
, USA 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, South Carolina, purchased the naming rights to the new facility, when 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 Toronto Dominion Bank Arena. The playing surface is named John Kresse Court in honor of legendary 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 Charleston Classic
between Texas Christian University
and Western Michigan University
won by TCU 67-63.
The arena not only plays host to Cougars basketball games, but it also hosts many other campus events, including orientations and campus tours. Also, several high school volleyball games have been held there.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, USA that opened in 2008 and replaced John Kresse Arena
John Kresse Arena
John Kresse Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Charleston, South Carolina. It was built in 1982 and was home to the College of Charleston Cougars basketball team. The facility, named after the school's longtime head basketball coach John Kresse, hosted the 1997 and 1998 Atlantic Sun...
as the home of the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
Cougars basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
teams. The South Financial Group of Greenville, South Carolina, purchased the naming rights to the new facility, when 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 Toronto Dominion Bank Arena. The playing surface is named John Kresse Court in honor of legendary coach John Kresse
John Kresse
John Kresse is a basketball coach and writer.He is former head coach of the College of Charleston Cougars and assistant coach with the New York Nets and St. John's University. Kresse has the 5th highest winning percentage of any Division 1 NCAA college basketball coach with 560 wins and 143 losses...
.
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 Charleston Classic
Charleston Classic
-2008 standings:-2009 Tournament:ESPN confirmed that the 2009 field of eight schools have been selected for the tournament as follows: South Carolina, La Salle, Miami, Penn State, South Florida, Tulane, UNC Wilmington and Davidson. Davidson was the representative from the host Southern Conference...
between Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
and Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
won by TCU 67-63.
The arena not only plays host to Cougars basketball games, but it also hosts many other campus events, including orientations and campus tours. Also, several high school volleyball games have been held there.