Jan. 25, 2008
I would be remiss if I did not talk a little about the renovations that are to be made on the The Pit. We intend to make The Pit the best college basketball facility in the country, one that will take us to the next level in recruiting student-athletes as well as enhance the fan’s experience without changing the overall atmosphere that USAToday has named one of the 10 great places to watch college basketball.
During the last 3½ months, we have gathered information to help put a plan in place to do exactly that. We have visited facilities across the country, including trips to the recently rennovated facilities at the University of Tennessee, Kansas State and Wichita State. We have spoken with our own athletic teams, university personnel, as well as our ticket office and the Lobo Store to help gain a sense of how our product could be better presented. We have met and will continue to meet with a team of architects on a weekly basis to provide feedback on how to make University Arena the top facility in the country.
As mentioned, our goal is to maintain The Pit’s existing fan experience and incorporate significant upgrades that will complement our loyal fan base. The plan in place currently includes roughly $60 million for technological advancements and refurbishments that will provide one of the top entertainment atmospheres in all of college sports. The planning process should be complete later this spring, allowing us to move forward with construction immediately after.
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