By: Steele Smith, Senior Writer
The anticipation for Wofford’s men’s basketball home opener against the USC Gamecocks is undeniable. The Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium facility is now complete and in use with women’s volleyball earning wins against other SoCon teams like The Citadel, UNC Greensboro and Western Carolina University. However, the basketball arena itself is still awaiting its debut.
Playing the Gamecocks at home represents a milestone in Wofford College Athletics but also represents a particular challenge with ticketing. Seats for this historic moment in the college’s history are already highly coveted. While many rumors have swirled among the student body about how tickets will be distributed, here are the facts.
There is not an official seat count yet.
“We are still working on the exact number of seats in the facility due to a change in the balcony from bench seating to chairs with backs. We should know the exact number in the next few weeks, but it will be in the neighborhood of 3,300 seats,” stated Brent Williamson, Associate Athletic Director of Media Relations.
Seats have already been taken.
So far, tickets have been made available for purchase based on a hierarchal system starting with the previous year’s season ticket holders. After season tickets were sold, members of the Terrier Club, as well as faculty and staff, were offered a chance to buy single game tickets to the opening matchup for a short time period in September.
All Wofford students have a chance of receiving tickets to the game, but it depends on a student’s individual use of the Terrier Rewards app.
Williamson elaborated on the system, saying, “Student ticket priority will go to those with a certain standing in the TerrierRewards app. This has been announced at all home athletic events this season, along with a news release in September and posts in the daily announcements. Once the students with priority have received their tickets, we will have an allotment available on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
With the game still a month away, students still have a lot of time to attend Wofford athletic events and earn points in the TerrierRewards app. With women’s lacrosse beginning play this fall, there is now an additional event where students can earn points in the app.
While getting a seat at this Wofford basketball game is particularly more involved than before, it will not become the norm. Tickets will be required for entry into the USC vs. Wofford game, but all following home games, including matchups against Georgia Tech and Harvard, will only require students to show their Wofford ID.
Williamson confidently stated, “Tickets for all home athletic events are free to Wofford students, including men’s basketball.”
Despite the increased pressure of having high demand tickets and a limited amount of seats available, this is a great problem to have. When the Gamecocks arrive in Spartanburg on Nov. 10, they will be met by a packed arena of Terrier fans.
