Miami Hurricanes set to open on-campus basketball facility
Dec. 19, 2002
For years, University of Miami officials have been talking about the missing piece of their basketball program. That and this report from The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel’s Sarah Talalay
On Tuesday, the piece became reality as UM opened the doors of its stately but intimate 7,000-seat on-campus arena, known as the Convocation Center, for an early peek at what school officials say will be a home not only for basketball, but also for graduations, concerts and guest lecturers. The building — painted pale yellow on the inside with green and orange accents — is scheduled to open Jan. 4, when the Hurricanes men’s basketball team, which is moving out of Miami Arena, will face the University of North Carolina.
As workers continued to put the finishing touches on the $48 million arena — from laying the floor to installing glass in front of the suites to hanging mirrors — visitors clad in hard hats toured what women’s basketball coach Ferne Labati has already dubbed “my favorite building in the United States.”
“This is the building that has been the missing piece of the puzzle for years,” Labati said. “There’s not a bad seat in the house.”
After years of delays and time spent raising funds, UM officials said they expect to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy by week’s end that should allow them to begin moving in before Christmas. Some offices and entertainment areas will not be complete for the opening game, but the other work is on track, UM Athletic Director Paul Dee said.
UM President Donna Shalala said this month the university will hold its graduation in a tent for the last time, and she has already extended an invitation to the Dalai Lama to speak at the center, which eventually can be expanded to 9,000 seats.
UM hopes to have a full house for the Jan. 4 opener. University officials are working to sell the last two of the building’s 26 suites and already count about 4,000 season ticket-holders. A minimum of 1,000 seats will be set aside for students each game. An announcement about individual game tickets is expected soon.
The women’s basketball team will debut at the center on Jan. 15 against Boston College, and British rock band Coldplay is scheduled to perform the center’s first concert on Jan. 22.
David Touhey, the center’s general manager, said the building can hold up to 85 events a year — of which 30 will be basketball games. He is working to book family shows and concerts. That and this report from The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel’s Sarah Talalay
