UNCA Athletics invests $5.5 million in basketball arena renovations

The UNC Asheville Athletics department is making major upgrades to Kimmel Arena, including a new roof, court floor, hanging video board and renovations to the locker rooms, scholarship deck and branding graphics. 

“Since the Sherrill Center/Kimmel Arena is a multi-use facility that is used for University Events, Basketball Games and Community Events, the user experience will be enhanced. In addition, UNC Asheville continues to have one of the top facilities in the Big South Conference and in the Region,” said Kassi Butcher, assistant athletic director for marketing and communication. 

According to Butcher, the project leadership is a collaboration between Scott Walker and Tony Delaurentis with Campus Operations and Athletics Director Janet R. Cone, Michael Bianco, Diane Buzzini, Dani Nicosia, Men’s Head Coach Mike Morrell, Women’s Head Coach Tynesha Lewis, Jonathan Pickett and Clarrissa Adams with the Athletics department.

“The Sherrill Center/Kimmel Arena is over 14 years old and has begun to show its age with a leaky roof, lights inoperable, video equipment that no longer works, safety issues with the floor.  In addition to issues, the men’s and women’s locker rooms were also showing their age with much wear and tear.  Neither team had a place to watch game film,” said Butcher.

The basketball conference room is being transformed into a “team film room”, and the scholarship deck is being transformed into “athletics director’s VIP suite.” Butcher also said all renovations should be complete by Oct. 1, with the exception of the roof which is to be completed by late November. 

According to Butcher, $5 million in state funding is paying for the roof, arena floor and arena lighting upgrades. The rest is being paid for through private funding, with the video equipment costing $254,000, the scholarship deck transformation costing $70,000, the locker rooms costing about $68,000 each, the conference room transformation costing $17,870 and rebanding costing $50,000.

“I can’t even describe how grateful I am. I get to come into the program that I love, the school that I love. Just that we’re putting in effort and resources into building up the program that I’m in, even as a freshman – it’s great and it’s a blessing,” said student basketball athlete Brayden Rivers.

The business major from Mobile, AL said the department hasn’t told him much about the changes. 

“I really don’t know much. I know we’re getting a big video board, which is going to be awesome to be able to look up there and see ourselves on the big screen during the game,” said Rivers. “It definitely gets everybody more involved. I’d say the players, for sure, but then also for students, whoever’s there, I feel like that’s just another aspect that adds to the atmosphere of our game.”

Along with the video equipment upgrades, the basketball team is also rebranding their graphics.

“I’m loving the new logo. I think it’s a fresh, new look for us. Kind of ushering in a new start to the program,” said Rivers. “I get to come in to a new logo, new arena. So just really all new things and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jamie Legg, the freelance graphic designer who worked with the athletics department to create the new branding, said Athletic Director Janet Cole initially turned down Legg’s offer to help the school rebrand about two years ago.

“I had a couple of different bulldogs that I had just kind of sketched up and she showed a little bit of interest and we had some initial conversation, but at the time the budget wasn’t there and it just got put on the shelf,” said Legg.

It wasn’t until after the hurricane Legg saw an opportunity to offer a discount to the department. 

“I kind of continued to refine one of the bulldog images that I’d been working on and got to a place where I really liked it again. I reached out to Janet literally right after the floods and I said, look, I’ve got this logo that I really like. I can do it at a really discounted price, because I want to get my foot in the door with the Division I athletic program,” said Legg. “This discount, the way that I look at this is it’s kind of giving back to an institution that’s been hit hard.”

After coming to an agreement with the department, Legg created a new bulldog logo and several other graphics including a new “AVL” mark for the athletic department.

“I think the timing of that along with things like needing a new floor for the gym anyway and quite honestly, the discount that I offered – I think that combination of things sparked Janet’s interest. She responded right away and the next thing we knew, there was a committee being formed and we were moving forward with it,” said Legg.