A familiar feeling on George Street.

Byline: KEN BURGER

Stepping into the arena on a cold winter night always brings about the same warm feeling. The people. The handshakes. The smiles.

The F. Mitchell Johnson Center on George Street is not just a gymnasium, you see; it's a meeting place, a fraternity house, a student union, a connection to the College of Charleston that lasts long after the keg parties and hangovers of youth are gone.

This is where they come to commune with the Cougars, see familiar faces, talk offense, defense, point guards, power forwards, turnovers, transition baskets and slam dunks.

When the Cougars play basketball at home, the scene is unequal parts …