arena announcements

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SoCalHoops College News

USC Officially Announces New
On-Campus Arena--(Oct. 22, 1999)

The University of Southern California held a press conference yesterday to officially announce that the University will build a new on-campus arena for men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Assuming that all funds necessary are raised by this next summer, construction will begin and completion is set for January 2002, in time for the opening of Pac-10 play in the 2002 season. This will be a major boost to USC's recruiting efforts, and would place USC among the rest of the Pac-10 schools with on-campus arenas for basketball. The arena will have 12,000 seats and will be located on the Southeast Corner of Jefferson and Figuroa.

Outside rendering
(click for larger view)

Map of location
of arena (click for
larger view)

Inside rendering
(click for larger view)

USC issued several different official press releases yesterday about the new arena, the fund raising efforts that will precede any construction (the school will need to raise approximately $70 million before any construction will begin). Here's the first press-release including several drawings of the proposed building:

USC Plans To Begin Construction Of An On-Campus Events Center Next Summer

Arena will be home to the Trojan basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the site of various cultural events.

Oct. 21, 1999

USC Quotes On Planned On-Campus Arena

LOS ANGELES - USC plans to begin construction next summer of a multipurpose on-campus events center that will be home to the Trojan basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the site of various cultural events, USC athletic director Mike Garrett announced today.

"The University has begun a 10-year facilities construction program aimed at improving the quality of undergraduate life," Garrett said. "The events center fits in nicely with that goal because it involves so much more than athletics."

Construction plans and fund-raising efforts already have begun, Garrett said.

It is expected that the 12,000-seat center will be completed by January of 2002. While a final decision on the site has not been made, current plans call for locating the facility on the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street, adjacent to the USC campus on the west and visible from the heavily-traveled Harbor (110) Freeway directly to the east.

The USC athletic department, which will be responsible for raising all money necessary for constructing the center, has already begun contacting major donors and corporations. A sports marketing firm will be hired to assist with securing a naming rights sponsor and other corporate sponsors.

HNTB, a company that has been involved with many of the world's top stadiums and arenas, has begun the programming phase of the project (developing architectural specifications). An architect and contractor will be selected early in 2000. Ground is expected to be broken by the summer of 2000.

While a specific cost projection won't be known until the programming phase is completed, Garrett said that "the total project cost will be under $70 million. We will continue planning and designing the facility as we are raising funds."

It will be a true multipurpose events center, as Garrett expects the facility to host as many as 125 events annually, including concerts, plays, pageants, cultural events, NCAA playoffs and high school championships in addition to Trojan basketball games and volleyball matches.

Besides being the playing and practice site for USC men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams, the new facility also will contain offices and locker rooms for those sports. Plans also call for the facility to include retail space.

The on-campus events center is part of seven new facilities recently approved by the Board of Trustees. Within the next five years, USC--named the College of the Year for 2000 by Time/The Princeton Review College Guide--plans to build a science and engineering center, a performing arts center, a student center, and an internationally-themed residential college on its main campus, and a neurogenetic research facility and a health care center on its Health Sciences campus.

"The events center is the most important project ever undertaken by the USC athletic department," said Garrett. "This has been a dream of the University for more than 30 years and I'm very excited about being here to help fulfill this dream. We've talked about it since the days of athletic directors Jess Hill and John McKay, and we're finally going to do it. It will be good for our athletic program and good for the campus.

"First of all, it will be a tremendous boost to our men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs. USC is the only university in the Pac-10 that doesn't own its own arena, and we have missed out on many prime recruits over the years because of our lack of a facility. Our new arena will level the recruiting playing field.

"In addition, our players who compete in that new building will be supported by the best home-court advantage we've ever had. Our coaches couldn't be more excited.

"Financially, it will be an enormous help, too. With corporate sponsorships and outside events, we can create a revenue stream to help us balance our budget that has reached $28 million, expand our programs and enhance our Title IX efforts.

"But, more than that, the new facility will change the nature of our campus and its surroundings. It will improve the community."

Said USC president Steven Sample: "The center has the full endorsement of the USC Board of Trustees and the administration. The athletic department now has the green light to go out and raise the money."

Sample credited Garrett for bringing the often-discussed center to reality.

"Mike is the one who, over the last six years, has graciously but persistently made the case that we need this campus events center," said Sample. "This will make a significant difference in our ability to recruit coaches and student-athletes."

"An on-campus arena helps you get better players, which helps you win, which helps you get more good players," said USC men's basketball coach Henry Bibby. "It's a domino effect. We'll be able to go get those good local kids and keep them home."

Added USC women's basketball head coach Chris Gobrecht: "We've always had a great university located in a great city, but our lack of a good basketball facility has been a huge burden to our program. I have no doubts that this arena will elevate us to a status that will make us the elite program in our conference, if not the nation."

"This events center will have a tremendous impact on recruiting and our ability to host major events, like national- caliber tournaments, NCAA playoffs and even NCAA Final Fours," said Jerritt Elliott, who is serving as the interim head coach of the Women of Troy volleyball team until USA women's national team coach Mick Haley comes aboard after the 2000 Olympics. "This will help take our program to the next level and enable us to compete for our fifth national championship. It's nice to see USC give the women's volleyball program all the resources we need to do that."

Said USC men's volleyball coach Pat Powers: "This is a significant step forward. It will put us on--or above--par with the other teams in our league and in the nation. I look forward to the day where we can host some major volleyball events that USC richly deserves."

Under Garrett, USC athletics is in the middle of the biggest building program in its history. Since becoming athletic director in January of 1993, Garrett has overseen such projects as the $3 million Galen Center (a dining and activity center), a 3,000-square-foot addition to the weight room, a women's soccer practice field, expansion of the football practice field, six new tennis courts and the 3,000-seat Katherine B. Loker Track and Field Stadium (scheduled to begin construction in the summer of 2000). Also in the planning stage is a renovation of baseball's Dedeaux Field.

The events center will be an addition to the Figueroa Street Corridor that is developing in downtown Los Angeles, stretching from Dodger Stadium and the Staples Center to the north to USC, Exposition Park and the Coliseum at the south end.

USC has played its men's basketball games in the 15,509-seat Los Angeles Sports Arena since that facility was built in 1959. The women's team currently plays most of its games in the Sports Arena and the others in the 1,500-seat on- campus Lyon Center (it previously played in the 1,000-seat North Gym in the campus Physical Education building). The men's and women's volleyball teams play in the North Gym and in the past have held matches in the Lyon Center.

USC Quotes On The Planned On-Campus Arena

Oct. 21, 1999

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett

"As I look around, I feel like this is a historic day for all of us. I believe some of us have been waiting for an announcement of an on-campus arena for maybe 50 years.

"We are called here today to announce that we plan to begin construction of a campus events center, a new building that will be the home for our basketball and volleyball teams. This has been a goal of the university since two people very dear to me, Jess Hill and John McKay, since they were athletic directors. I would like to be able to help fulfill that dream. It's the most important project ever undertaken by the athletic department. It will be a tremendous addition to our campus.

Athletically, it will bring a huge boost to our recruiting in our basketball and volleyball programs and will give us the best home-court advantage we've ever had at this university. Financially, it will help us balance our budget. Through corporate sponsors and by renting the building for outside events, we create a major new revenue stream for the athletic department. Just as important, it will change the nature of our campus. It will improve the quality of life for all our students. Besides athletic events, the new building will host concerts, plays, convocations, lectures and other cultural activities. We plan to have up to 125 events our first year. We'll be giving more details in the near future.

"The final decision has not been made but current plans call for the campus events center to be located at the southeast corner of Jefferson and Figueroa. We hope to complete it in just over two years. We plan to open it in the year 2002 for the beginning of that season's Pac-10 season. The size of the center will be 12,000 seats. HTNB, who have built many world-class arenas, will be involved in the construction of the events center. Construction should begin by summer of next year. We will hire a sports marketing firm to assist us in securing a naming-rights sponsor and other corporate sponsors. We can't give a definitive cost, but I have assured President Sample that the total cost will be under $70 million. Also of note, the athletic department will raise 100% of the funds for the campus events center."

(on whether USC could have moved to the Staples Center) "It was not a difficult decision to build our own arena. Besides, there just weren't any dates available since they have the Lakers, Clippers and Kings."

(on location options) "At this time, we are planning on building at the southeast corner of Figueroa and Jefferson. Our objective now is to raise the money. I don't foresee the location changing."

(on fundraising) "This whole press conference was designed to kick off our fundraising. We have some initial money now, but what matters is not how much we have now, but how much we will raise in the future."

USC President Dr. Steven Sample

"Is this a great day for USC or what? I'm just delighted to join athletic director Mike Garrett and Mike Jackson, our vice-president of student affairs, to announce this ambitious drive to build a campus events center which will benefit not only our Trojan athletes, but all of our 28,000 students. The campus event center is an integral part of a comprehensive plan to improve the undergraduate experience at USC. Back in 1994 our board of trustees approved a strategic plan for this university to guide us in to the next century. One of the four goals of that plan was to improve all aspects of undergraduate life. Naturally, the initial focus has been on academics. But there's more to student life than the direct academic experience and the nation's best students understand that.

"Across the country, major universities, our competitors, are increasingly investing large sums of money to provide students with state-of-the-art academic, cultural, athletic and entertainment facilities. These investments help universities recruit and retain the best and brightest from around the world and it's imperative that USC does the same. That's why I'm excited about our ten-year construction program to improve the undergraduate experience at USC.

"The campus event center will be an important part of the USC cultural and sports experience, providing a venue not only for USC's basketball and volleyball teams, but also for a wide variety of cultural and entertainment events. Students at USC will be able to cheer on their Trojans at the event center one night, then watch a Broadway musical the next night.

"The events center will also fulfill a dream which many Trojan sports fans have held dear. I'd like to thank Mike Garrett for moving this project to the front burner and working so hard to bring us to this moment. His vision and his drive have convinced all of us that the campus events center must become a reality in the near future."

USC women's basketball coach Chris Gobrecht

"How can I say what this means? I have the privilege of guardianship over one of the great legacies in the history of our sport. But no matter how impressive that legacy has been, though, it's always been very very fragile. So how can I tell you what it means to say it is no longer fragile? This center will inspire the great players we bring to this campus to become all the great things they can become and are supposed to become. It will honor their specialness and be a place to showcase their talents.

"First and foremost, this is going to be a place for Trojans to celebrate Trojans. It's very important for our community for people to come and see our athletes and feel a great deal of pride about people who are here in their midst. Far from being just another beautiful building on a campus filled with beautiful buildings, it will be a place that we can call home. A home court advantage has never existed for this program and now it will. On behalf of the Women of Troy of past, present and future, I want to say 'thank you.' This is one of the happiest days of my professional life."

USC men's basketball coach Henry Bibby

"I'm very happy that I will be the first men's basketball coach to coach in the new arena. This will place the men's basketball program at USC on the same playing field as other Pac-10 schools. Having this center will allow me to recruit higher profile student-athletes and give me the opportunity to make this school really visible and give it more credibility.

"I am happy to be a part of this building. We are going to build a great tradition here. The women and the men's basketball teams are going to bring championships to you. We need your support. We need more people like to come out to the games, not only two or three years down the road, but right now."