The new Idaho Central Credit Union Arena has been one of the most talked about topics on campus for the better part of four years. Now, it’s here. The arena was funded in part by the ICCU, as well as students, and it has sparked debate over whether it was worth the cash shelled out.
The debate aside, if nothing else, the arena is exciting. It’s new. For Vandal basketball players though, it seems to be a breath of fresh air.
The new arena serves as both a new home for basketball and a multiuse facility for university events. It’s a 4,000-person arena that students are set to use for either watching basketball games or for future concerts and events like Finals Fest. For basketball teams, though, this arena isn’t entertainment. This is a new start, and a new home.
The Vandal basketball teams previously played their home games either in the Cowen Spectrum, which, put simply, was just Kibbe Dome lite, and the Memorial Gym.
During the ICCU media day on Sept. 29, players and coaches seemed overjoyed with what the arena will do for them.
“We have a great fanbase,” said Taylor Pierce, a former Idaho women’s basketball star and current assistant coach. “They’ve always come out for away games and home games … I think this arena adds another level of new fans coming out.”
Pierce believed this arena would only add to the already consistent and steady fanbase of the women’s basketball team.
While the arena is brand new, it also pays homage to the history of the Vandals basketball program. The lobby of the arena has floorboards from the old Cowen Spectrum court and has a wall to soon be decorated with photos and other items celebrating legendary past Vandals teams. The arena serves as a reminder of the greatness the program has achieved, and a point of motivation for the future of the program going forward.
“(This arena) is an immense amount of pride in our department and in our program and across campus,” Men’s basketball coach Zac Claus said. “This is going to be a fixture as one of the best arenas in the entire west coast … we can’t wait to play our home games here.”
The ICCU Arena will not have to wait long to make its first historical marks on campus. Men’s basketball will play their first game in the arena on Oct. 29, hosting Evergreen State College for an exhibition game. After exhibition games, UI will host Long Beach State on Nov. 10. Long Beach State is coached by Dan Monson, son of Don Monson — who led the Vandal men’s basketball team to its only Sweet 16 appearance in the 1982 NCAA Tournament.
Then on Nov. 18, the ICCU Arena will host the Battle of the Palouse against Washington State University continuing the long-time rivalry of Cougars and Vandals.
Seeing the arena and the excitement on the players’ and coaches’ faces during media day was eye-opening. University staff giving the tour, coaches and players alike all seem thrilled. There’s an air of mystique with this arena, and if there is a full house come the season-opener, everyone in that arena might feel the same thing.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected]