New Tiger Arena At Towson University A 'Slam Dunk' For Globetrotter Fans
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- A new center of activity for Towson University. Its brand new Tiger Arena officially opens, with a performance by the Harlem Globetrotters.
Kai Jackson explains--the building could mean big bucks for the university.
It's a hi-tech, brand new arena. And Towson University has big plans for it.
The world famous Harlem Globetrotters always score big points with fans. The historic and acrobatic basketball team is also the first big event inside the new arena at Towson University.
"Me and my dad used to come here for years, he'd take me. Now I'm taking my kids. I love the Globetrotters," said Ryan Evans, fan.
"This arena is absolutely gorgeous. Our students, our community, everyone is going to love this place," said Joe Oster, V.P. of Finance & Admin, Towson University.
It opens at a time when the university is still reeling from controversy over eliminating then reinstating some athletic programs due to budget issues.
"Right now, the governor has been very generous and helped us out. And we have a couple years to figure out how we're going to move forward and how we're going to deal with athletic issues," Oster said.
The new arena has 5,200 seats. It's a much more modern design than the old facility. The building is constructed with visible amounts of glass, wood and stainless steel.
It has an expanded concessions area and a number of amenities for guests.
Towson's new arena is a state of the art facility. But it's not just for sports.
The university also envisions concerts and other big events there in the future.
"It's awesome. We just took a tour with a soccer coach," said Ginger Bruns, Pasadena.
"I think the new arena is really nice. My nieces and my daughter love it," said Dominique Hughes, Baltimore.
The new arena cost $68 million to construct.
Construction on the new arena started in 2011. While it's open, Towson says they are still transitioning some things from the old facility.
