WAKE UP: Wake Forest fans will notice upgrades on their home court including a fresh new paint job. (Courtesy Venue)
Small changes pay big dividends for NCAA Division 1 basketball teams including Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“In 2013, Wake Forest purchased Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum from the City of Winston-Salem and assumed responsibility for stewarding this community treasure,” said John Currie, Wake Forest vice president and Director of Athletics. “While some needed investments are mundane – like replacing the main boilers and emergency generator in 2024 for $900,000 – and others are more exciting – the new center video board in 2017 – we maintain an ongoing commitment to elevating our home court advantage and the experience for Demon Deacons fans in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Fans this season will notice two new atmosphere enhancements that are designed to make the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum feel more intimate and court action more intense for fans and broadcasters.
The theatrical feel of the building has been transformed thanks to a new coat of black paint applied to the ceiling, steel superstructure and upper back walls. Changing the color significantly reduced overhead glare and keeps attention on the players.
The venue has experienced an increase in concert and comedy bookings since the university partnered with ASM Global in 2023 to manage and operate the arena. But regardless of the event, there will be no mistaking whose home it is following the installation of a new “WAKE FOREST” panel in the upper north end of the venue.
Positioned above row F in sections 215 through 227, this semi-permanent panel “right-sizes” LJVM’s 14,665-capacity to a basketball capacity of 12,799, the sixth largest capacity of the 18 ACC home buildings.
“This brings the Joel more in line with the last decade’s national college basketball trend towards smaller capacities, such as the University of Texas’ 10,763-seat Moody Center, Miami’s Watsco Center (7,972), Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion (8,600) and Auburn’s Neville Arena (9,121), while continuing to serve our broader mission for the community,” said Currie.
The arena opened in 1989 at a cost of $20.1 million. Wake Forest purchased the venue in 2013 for $8 million, has made several upgrades since taking ownership, but the recent cosmetic changes allow college players to shine on the court, not the overhead rafters.
