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Troy to model new arena after USA's Mitchell Center?

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Troy to model new arena after USA's Mitchell Center?

Troy to model arena after USA's Mitchell Center?

Troy discussionat:
http://gotroytrojans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9799

Mobile Press-Register
Monday, March 10, 2008

Troy chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins was at the Mitchell Center on Sunday to watch his men's team play Middle Tennessee. He was also there, along with athletics director Steve Dennis and other school officials, to check out the Mitchell Center itself. Troy has plans to replace Trojan Arena with a modern, multi-purpose building for its basketball teams in the near future.

"Sooner is better than later," Hawkins said of the timetable for the project.

"I love Trojan Arena. It was great 40 years ago. Today, we need a better facility."



From Troy Media Guide … For the 45th year, Trojan Arena is the home of Troy basketball.
Previously known as one of toughest places to play in the
Atlantic Sun Conference, the cozy confines of Trojan Arena offer
the basketball fan a great atmosphere to watch college basketball.
Built in 1962, Trojan Arena was formerly known as Sartain
Hall prior to its renovation in the summer of 1998.

Among the improvements made to 4,000-seat Trojan Arena in 1998
were:

• Reconstruction of the lobby area, allowing fans a full view of
the court area
• Chairback seats in the lower level
• 1,000 additional seats
• New locker rooms for both men’s and women’s basketball, as
well as volleyball and women’s soccer
• Since the renovation, Troy holds a 87-36 record at Trojan
Arena

Hawkins said the school has run out of space in the current building and upgrades are required, including luxury suites and other modern amenities. He said a firm has already been hired to look into the costs and needs of a new building.

He added that Troy's updated football and baseball stadiums proved to him that, "If you build it, they (fans) will come."

"We'll probably start with champagne tastes of everything we would like to have on a beer budget and somewhere between the two will be the reality," Hawkins said. He added he was impressed with the Mitchell Center and there are aspects of the facility that would be useful to have in Troy's new building.

– COACHING MOVE OF THE DAY: Troy coach Don Maestri, known for his frenetic run-and-gun style, played a slow-down attack with an all-guard lineup and the 12th-seeded Trojans upset No. 5 seed Louisiana-Lafayette in the tournament's first round. Maestri utilized the same game plan he installed just six days ago and it nearly produced another upset. Troy lost to Middle Tennessee 81-58 on March 1 in the final regular-season game of the year, but the Trojans took the Blue Raiders to the wire on Sunday before falling 65-59.

"I'm proud of the fact they were able to make that adjustment mentally and they almost had us in a position at the end of the game to maybe pull it off," Maestri said.

– STAR OF THE DAY: South Alabama's Brandon Davis helped the Jags to an 81-77 victory over upset-minded New Orleans. Davis poured in a career-high 27 points in 26 minutes, hitting 6-of-9 field-goal attempts and 15-of-20 free throws. He also collected nine rebounds before fouling out with 11 seconds remaining.

– STAT OF THE DAY: South Alabama's 81-77 win over New Orleans on Sunday was its 26th of the year, the most victories in a season by the Jaguars in the 41-year history of the program. The previous mark was 25-5 by the 1980-81 club under Cliff Ellis. The Jaguars are also enjoying their best three-year stretch in school history. South Alabama has now won 70 games, starting with the 2005-06 team under John Pelphrey. The Jags won 68 games from 1978-81 under Ellis.

– YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS: South Alabama takes on Middle Tennessee in the first men's semifinal tonight at 6:30. The top-seeded Jaguars (26-5) and the fourth-seeded Blue Raiders (16-14) split their regular-season meetings. MTSU lost 75-61 at the Mitchell Center, then defeated South Alabama 76-70 in Murfreesboro – the Jags' largest margin of defeat this season. "I think we're playing an NCAA at-large team," MTSU coach Kermit Davis said of tonight's showdown.

– Gareth Clary and Tommy Hicks
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