Memories waiting to happen in C of C's new arena

History begins tonight, when basketballs fly and memories are made.

New buildings, like the College of Charleston's Carolina First Arena, begin as a clean slate, an empty box score, a photo without focus. There are no stories to tell, no jokes to recall, no moments to cherish.

At least not yet.

Longtime Cougar fans are living proof of what happened in the old gym on George Street. All those victories, last-second baskets, close calls, blowouts, disappointing defeats, though they were few.

The John Kresse years will always be associated with that cracker-box court, the pull-out seats, the smell of popcorn, the jittery coach, the home crowd wedged in tight and roaring with approval.

To outsiders it seemed sort of silly, playing college basketball in a space more suited to a middle school. But it was a perfect fit for the times, the place and the people.

They can change the name, but they can never remove the memories.

Long awaited

Tonight Bobby Cremins will lead his team out through the tunnel, into a new era, long awaited.

About twice as big and state of the art, this facility is a vast improvement, a thing of beauty, necessity, and something this colonial college can point to with pride.

Like all things Charleston, you hardly notice its presence from the street. The arena sits behind an old stone wall that's witnessed war and peace and everything in between.

Unlike other sporting venues, centered in a sea of parking spaces, this one hides its size beyond the entrance, up the staircase, where it opens like a flower, unexpected.

A long time coming, the arena fulfills the needs of progress and promises made years ago.

In its splendor, it proves that winning is simply not enough. That talk is cheap. That you have to take bold steps to keep pace.

Grand opening

The official opening is tonight, when the Cougars take on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (7:30) and Clemson plays Hofstra (9:30) in the nightcap.

The beauty of basketball, and all sports, is that you never know when the next big moment will occur. Games can lull you to sleep one minute, then bring you out of your seat the next.

It's the anticipation that we pay for, long for and look for. Without warning, the game comes to you, in a quick cross-court pass or an unlikely underneath lay-up.

If we knew when and how and where, it wouldn't be the same. You have to be there, in your seat, leaning forward, expecting the unexpected.

That's when moments become memories that last forever.

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5598.