July 13, 2010
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It’s not your grandfather’s Pit. It’s not your father’s Pit either. It’s also not The Pit that Danny Granger played in when he led the University of New Mexico Lobos to a 26-7 mark in 2005 and into the NCAA Tournament.
However, it’s still The Pit at the core with a whole lot of glitter, glass and high-tech progress at the top where most of the $60 million renovation will center.
Granger said he had no problem envisioning the final product and the dynamic impact it should make on the national level for UNM, Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico.
“I thought it was amazing,” Granger said of his stroll through University Arena. “They are doing stuff in there that we don’t even have in Indiana (Pacers). They even have a basketball court in the weight room so you can do weight lifting and incorporate it with basketball movement. ”
The small group that donned hard hats and shiny, safety vests and joined Granger on his walk included UNM President David Schmidly, Senior Associate AD Tim Cass, Lobo coach Steve Alford and Breda Bova, a faculty representative for athletics.
The tour revealed that there is still a lot of work to do in The Pit before the renovated venue opens its doors to the public in November. The stroll also left no doubt that the $60 million renovation will give Lobo basketball a special venue with few equals in NCAA ball.
“I really looks good,” said President Schmidly. “It’s something for the entire university to be proud of.”
The facelift was a needed change for the old gym, but there was great emphasis not to change the heart of this sunken, caldron of Lobo emotion. The fan experience will heighten for all fans, but the wraparound effect of The Pit is virtually unchanged.
This will still be a terrifying floor for opponents to venture down into. There will just be bigger scoreboards and video boards to record the beatings.
The sightlines are still great, but fans at all levels will be able to embrace the new technology — not to mention about 60,000 square feet of new space that will improve concessions, restrooms, traffic flow, locker rooms, weight rooms, and much more.
The Pit also will modernize with the addition of 38 suites and 244 club seats. The Lobo Store will be expanded by 2500 square feet and a UNM Lettermen’s Lounge will be added.
Granger took some extra time on the North and Northeast sides where massive glass fronts provide Lobo fans with spectacular views of both the Sandia Mountains and Downtown Albuquerque.
For the Lobos, the ending Granger’s Tour had to go down as the best part. For sure, it was a happy ending for UNM with the Lobo legend handing over a $100,000 check to President Schmidly.
The check was an installment on a pledge Granger made to help support the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team. Maybe the best part of the day for Granger was taking the tour and seeing for himself that his former school is committed to pushing Lobo basketball toward heights never before reached.
“It was pretty impressive,” said Granger, who also is in town running his summer basketball camp. “You can tell it`s going to be awesome.”
More From Granger:
On being on the USA National Team this summer: “We have a camp in Vegas and then we go to New York to play a few exhibition games and then we go overseas to play in the World Championships. I look forward to the opportunity to get a gold medal not only (in the World Championships) but in the Olympics.”
On LeBron James jumping to Miami: “I’m not ready to give them the championships. I was happy because Chris Bosh left Toronto and they’re not going to be as good. LeBron left Cleveland so they aren’t going to be as good. Miami was already a playoff team, so (the moves) just wiped out two teams that were competing for a playoff spot. Miami has three superstars but they need to put a lot of people around them. I’m interested in how that is going to turn out. ”