image courtesy Loyola Ramblers athletics
Loyola University Chicago’s Joseph J. Gentile Arena is undergoing a major renovation that will enhance the fan experience while still keeping that all-important home-court advantage for the Ramblers basketball and volleyball teams.
Gentile Arena opened in November 1996 where the Ramblers men’s basketball team compiled a record of 125-70 (.641), including a school-record 13-3 mark in 2005-06.
The arena was named in honor of Joseph Gentile, a 1946 Loyola graduate, who helped make the building a reality when he graciously made a commitment with a total value of $3.5 million to cover nearly half the cost of the facility.
“Our university has made a strong commitment to athletics in the last year or so here,” said Assistant AD for Sports Information Bill Behrns. “The athletic department moved into a new facility, the Norville Center for Athletics, this past March. It houses all the offices for coaches, administrators and staff and has a new weight room, new training room, academic area and locker rooms for all of our teams as well as some lounge areas. The Norville Center was the first phase of the rebuilding of our sports facilities. The Gentile Arena was the next phase of the facility upgrades and that started in May.”
The arena floor has been reconfigured to run east/west (for the past 15 years the floor ran north/south), and has been fitted with almost all chair-back seating. Prior to this renovation, about 95% of the seats were bleacher seats.
In addition to true stadium seating being installed, a concourse will be constructed, and the arena will feature brand new concession stands, restrooms, locker rooms, hospitality rooms and storage areas.
“Construction on the Gentile Arena began right after graduation,” said Behrns. “We wanted to give our arena a little more of a stadium feel to it. It was more like a high school gym with most of the seats being bleacher seats. The goal was to put in more chair-back seating and give the venue more of an arena feel to it. There will be a concourse area now, but it will still maintain that intimate atmosphere that we already enjoy.”
The architecture firm of Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates Inc., is responsible for the facility’s new design. The same firm also designed The Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics, which opened in March 2011.
The Ramblers will give up about 500 seats in the renovation, but the new concourse and concession areas will help offset some of those lost seats. Not to mention that most of the seats will be more comfortable for all in attendance. And it will still have that right-on-top-of-the-court feel for all the fans.
“We were at about 5,200 seating capacity, but we’ll have about 4,700 seats now,” Behrns remarked. “While we’ll lose some seats in the renovation, we will still have that feeling like you’re right on top of the court, even in the upper sections. There will not be a bad seat in the house. The atmosphere will be great and with backs on the seats now, I think our fans will be more comfortable.
The new facility will also be an attraction for recruits. In these times, recruits are almost always looking for the latest bells and whistles to help them achieve success.
“I think it’s going to be great for us,” Behrns beamed. “Everything we’ve done to our facilities so far, we’ve already seen tremendous benefits when it comes to recruiting. Once we are done with the Gentile Arena remodeling, it will have an even bigger impact. It’s going to be a first-class facility. When it comes to recruiting, that’s what kids want to see, that sparkling new toy, so to speak. We already have one of those with the Norville Center, which is incredible. Our current student-athletes are impressed with what we have. Now, recruits we’re bringing to campus are impressed as well.”
Not only have the new facilities helped with athletic recruiting, but coaches who have interviewed for positions at Loyola have be impressed with all of the upgrades as well.
“Quite honestly, it’s helped us with some coaching changes we’ve had with our staff. When we brought in coaching candidates, they didn’t even realize what we had facility-wise,” said Behrns. “Gentile Arena will do the same thing for us. It will be a great atmosphere and it should provide us with a tremendous home court advantage. It is going to be a real tough place to play.”
Loyola is grateful to Mr. Gentile for his patronage. Behrns spoke fondly of his contributions to the athletic department and the school in general. “He’s been a longtime supporter not just of athletics, but the entire school community as well. He’s shown his financial support as well as being a visible presence at games. We’re fortunate to have someone like him who cares so much about this university.”
