Cameron Hall is a 5,029–seat multi-purpose
arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
in
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
. It was built in 1981 and is home to the
Virginia Military Institute
la, Consilio et Animis (on seal)
, mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
, established =
, type = Public senior military college
, accreditation = SACS
, endowment = $696.8 mill ...
Keydets basketball team.
[June 11, 2008]
Cameron Hall - The Home of VMI Basketball
Retrieved July 12, 2014. Although mainly used for basketball, the arena also holds VMI's commencement every May, as well as other large-scale events. It was named after brothers Bruce and Daniel Cameron, VMI Class of 1938 and 1942, respectively.
History
Built in 1981, Cameron Hall was named after brothers Bruce B. Cameron, Jr. and Daniel D. Cameron from
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
. The Cameron brothers were both graduates of the school, as Bruce graduated in 1938 and Daniel in 1942. They paid for $2.3 million of the building's $6.8 million cost, with a supplementation from the
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...
.
The other funds were paid for by the VMI Foundation. For their contributions, the Cameron brothers were given life passes to all Cameron Hall events by VMI Board of Visitors president Vincent J. Thomas.
The first game was played on December 5, 1981, between
VMI and the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
. Virginia won the game 76–49 before 4,460 fans, which is currently the fifth-largest crowd in the arena's history.
The venue seats 5,029 spectators for basketball, and 4,300 for plays and concerts. It went largely untouched until 1995, when it received an extensive face lift that included repainted walls and portals, new railings, and a new floor color scheme.
Locker rooms were also renovated, with new carpeting, paint, and a lounge. Four years later in 1999, a VMI "Wall of Fame" was added to the mezzanine level, which features photographs and trophies as a tribute to former VMI basketball players and members of the VMI Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2007, VMI installed a new court donated by Ralph Costen, a 1970 graduate of the school. It was the first new floor since the 1995 renovation, and was appropriately named "Costen Court".
Features
Cameron Hall serves as host to the VMI athletic department offices, and contains a library, reception area, and five racquetball courts open to cadets in the basement level.
Recently, electronic side screens were added on the sidelines, as well as a "VMI Keydets" moniker that runs along either baseline under the basket. There are concessions on both ends of the arena.
In July 2013, Cameron Hall was ranked among the top venues in
mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American NCAA Division I college sports, particularly men's basketball, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the "Power Five conferences" (the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC), which are alternativ ...
basketball by MidMajorMadness.com.
[July 9, 2013]
"Mid-Major Basketball's Top Venues."
Parks Smith. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
Notable games
*December 5, 1981 – In the first game in Cameron Hall history, the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
defeated VMI 76–49 before a crowd of 4,460 fans. VMI would go on to have a 1–25 season, including a 1–15 mark in
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...
play.
*December 15, 1997 – In one of the very few occasions that VMI hosted an
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
school, the #2-ranked
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
defeated the Keydets 105–61 in front of 4,950 fans. The Tar Heels would make the Final Four of that year's
NCAA tournament and finish #1 in the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
.
*December 4, 2001 – Featuring the second contest in Lexington between Virginia and VMI, the Cavaliers defeated the Keydets 89–70.
*January 19, 2008 – Off to a surprising 10–6, 2–0 start to the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, VMI battled
UNC Asheville in front of 4,219 spectators, which was then the third-largest crowd in Cameron Hall history. Despite a late lead, VMI lost 90–87 in overtime.
*January 17, 2009 – With VMI on a ten-game winning streak and off to their best start in decades at 14–2, their nearby rival
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
(12–6) came to Lexington in a highly anticipated match-up. The game was the largest crowd in the venue's history, as well as the first and currently only sellout with 5,029 fans in attendance. Liberty won, however, 91–80, thanks to a 35-point performance from
Seth Curry
Seth Adham Curry (born August 23, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year at Liberty University before transferring to Duke. ...
.
*March 3, 2009 – On a Tuesday night, VMI hosted their first
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...
tournament game as the second seed, defeating the
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (, ) are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in most sports, having joined that conference as a full ...
96–76 to improve to 23–7 on the year.
*February 2, 2013 – In the first nationally televised contest at Cameron Hall, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs defeated VMI 90–79. The game was broadcast on
ESPNU
ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hears ...
.
*March 2, 2013 – VMI defeated the
Longwood Lancers
The Longwood Lancers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Longwood University, located in Farmville, Virginia. The University's 14 men’s and women’s teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) D ...
on Senior Day, 94–80, to give head coach
Duggar Baucom
Robert Franklin "Duggar" Baucom (born September 21, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, most recently
the head men's basketball coach at The Citadel Bulldogs basketball, The Citadel. Baucom was hired as the Citadel's head coach followin ...
his 117th win, the most all-time by a VMI head coach.
*November 8–9, 2013 – The Keydets hosted the annual
All-Military Classic, an early-season tournament featuring the military academies of
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
,
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, and
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
. After defeating
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
82–71 in the first game, they went on to win the tournament with a 71–63 victory over
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
. It was the school's first regular-season tournament championship since the late 1970s.
*March 22, 2014 – VMI hosted a second-round game of the
CIT Tournament, the first national postseason tournament game held in Cameron Hall. The Keydets beat the
IPFW Mastodons
The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, formerly known as the IPFW Mastodons and Fort Wayne Mastodons, are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). The school's athletic program includes 16 varsity sports t ...
106–95. Propelled by
D. J. Covington
Darius Jamar "D. J." Covington (born August 5, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Phoenix Hagen of the Basketball Bundesliga. He finished his collegiate career with the VMI Keydets basketball team, also finishi ...
's 41 points, which was a tournament record, VMI advanced to the quarterfinals.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
Cameron Hall - The Home of VMI Basketball
{{Southern Conference basketball venue navbox
Sports venues completed in 1981
College basketball venues in the United States
Basketball venues in Virginia
Buildings and structures in Lexington, Virginia
VMI Keydets basketball
Event venues established in 1981
1981 establishments in Virginia
VMI Keydets sports venues