You can forgive Paul Griffin a sports metaphor when he describes the construction of Hank McCamish Pavilion, the new home for the Yellow Jackets basketball squads, as coming “down the stretch.”
Griffin, Tech’s senior associate director of athletics, has overseen the project since its May 2011 groundbreaking. The new arena is being built on the site of the Alexander Memorial Coliseum and utilizes some of the previous building’s structure, but Griffin was quick to point out that the project isn’t a renovation.
“It will have the appearance of a completely new building,” he said. “There are very few structural ingredients aside from the iconic dome that remain. The first impression people will have is how new and complete the rebuild is.”
In place of the old Thrillerdome is a new arena that has a bigger feel and yet offers a more up-close and personal game-watching experience.
A new grand entrance is being installed at 10th and Fowler streets, where most fans will enter into a broad concourse that affords a court view almost all the way around.
The seating area, meanwhile, is slightly smaller, about 8,600 seats. And those seats are closer to the court than in the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Griffin said the most remote seat in the pavilion will be about 40 feet closer to mid-court than the most remote seat in the old arena.
“It’s tighter, more intimate,” he said. “All of our games are televised, so you have to make the experience unique. Make it so people want to come down to watch the game. I’m confident we’ll be accomplishing that.”
Another home court advantage will be the student section. Director of athletics Dan Radakovich dedicated an entire lower section opposite the teams’ benches to student fans. That means students will be right next to the action, in full view of the camera for every event that’s on TV.
“That’s pretty prime real estate,” Griffin said. “It’s providing students a great opportunity to contribute to the color of the event.”
The McCamish Pavilion, which was funded in part through a $15 million gift from Hank McCamish, IM 50, also will boast a state-of-the-art video board above the court, a ring of LED screens around the upper deck and a new sound system.
Griffin said the lighting in the arena will be similar to the systems in Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center.
A seat-selection process for returning season ticket holders began in June, and single game tickets, if available, will be available at ramblinwreck.com/tickets.
The pavilion will be completed by Oct. 1 and will host some small events that month. But the first big event will be opening weekend for the Yellow Jackets. The men play Tulane on Nov. 9, and the women take on Tennessee on Nov. 11.
Does Griffin have his seat picked out?
“I actually do,” he said. “I snuck in and said, ‘That’s mine. Take it off the manifest.’”
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