![EMUConvoCenterOUTSIDE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/EMUConvoCenterOUTSIDE.jpg)
The George Gervin GameAbove Center, formerly known as the Convocation Center, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located on
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
’s west campus. Opened in 1998 as part of a campus upgrade initiative, the George Gervin GameAbove Center is a structure that features three user-friendly levels including arena, concourse, and office. The arena also boasts versatile seating configurations to maximize space usage.
The building serves as the home to EMU athletics and also hosts a wide variety of special events including concerts, conferences, graduations (including the convocation of
William Jefferson Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
to the class of 2000 on April 30, 2000) of fairs, trade shows, political rallies, and more.
History
Construction began in 1996
and was completed in time for the 1998-99 winter sports season; its first men's basketball game was on November 25, 1998, against
Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
, who defeated EMU 54–53. The Convocation Center was officially dedicated before a near-sellout crowd on December 9, 1998, in an 86–63 loss to
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
Since its opening, it has served as home court for the Eagles' men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams. The EMU wrestling team has held several dual meets on the arena floor.
It has also served as the site for two
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...
Championships. EMU hosted the 2000 MAC Gymnastics Championship and the 2002 MAC Wrestling Championship. It has been the host site for four first-round MAC Women's Basketball Tournament games, three first-round MAC Volleyball Tournament games and one first-round game for the men's basketball squad. On December 11, 2021, the arena was renamed to the George Gervin GameAbove Center in honor of Basketball Hall of Fame member and former EMU alumnus
George Gervin
George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...
.
Along with their commitment to EMU Athletics, it has hosted concerts. It is also the site for EMU's spring and winter commencement ceremonies. Other events have included youth sporting competitions, high school commencements, trade shows, job fairs, conventions, charity and community awareness events and a circus.
Layout
The facility features three levels (arena, concourse, and office) and three seating configurations to maximize crowd capacity and space usage. The largest
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
is for center-stage entertainment activities, with 9,500 seats available. The capacity for basketball games is approximately 8,800.
EMU's athletic administration is located on the office level, along with offices for the EMU football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball coaching staffs. The EMU Sports Information Office, as well as offices for the staff, are located on the office level.
The main athletic training room and office space for EMU's sports medicine staff is located on the arena level as are strength and conditioning facilities and equipment rooms.
Floor and capacity
* 360 Center Stage (9,375)
* Athletic Events (8,800)
* End Stage (7,765; sold at 270 degrees / 6,442; sold at 180 degrees)
Rentable spaces
* Arena Floor (with seats retracted)
** 170' x 120'
**
* Arena Floor (without seats retracted)
** 131' x 79'
**
* Atrium
** 66' x 103'
**
* Eagle's Nest
** 75 person capacity
** can be divided into three smaller rooms
** Premium viewing area for the arena
* Dressing Rooms / Auxiliary Spaces
** Two visiting team locker rooms, each equipped with carpet, 16 full lockers and full shower and restroom amenities
** Two officials locker rooms, each equipped with four full lockers and full shower and restroom amenities
** Media Room A, a 33' x 17' carpeted room capable of seating up to 60 theater style. This room is ideal for production or food service location
Athletic events
EMU basketball
On March 18, 2014, Eastern Michigan received national attention when a
CollegeInsider.com Collegeinsider.com is a sports website based in Boston that is noted particularly for its basketball polls, awards and sponsored tournament.
The website was founded by Joe Dwyer and Angela Lento and traces it history to 1995 as regional basketball ...
tournament game at the Convo – EMU's first men's basketball postseason game in 16 years – drew 373 fans. Senior forward Glenn Bryant tweeted his frustration at the small crowd, which was picked up by national media. Despite a 22-win season, EMU drew an average of 901 fans per home game in 2013–14 (10.2% of capacity). In 2014–15, EMU chalked up 21 wins and another postseason berth (at the
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
); however, attendance was even lower, just 776 per contest. Attendances have picked up since then, however: another 21-win season (and another CBI berth) in 2015-16 drew 1,228 per game; a 16–17 mark in 2016-17 averaged 1,245; and the 2017–18 season saw Eastern draw 1,513 fans per contest, including 4,767 for their home opener and 1,138 for a CIT victory over
Niagara
Niagara may refer to:
Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada
*Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River
*Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border
*Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...
. (Eastern has never come close to selling out in its history; even the 1998 opener against Michigan featured over a thousand empty seats.)
2008 WNBA Finals
Due to the unavailability of
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shoc ...
, the
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions.
Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...
moved three
WNBA playoff games to the Convo Center in the fall of 2008: two games in the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 3 of the
2008 WNBA Finals
The 2008 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2008 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars, top-seeded champio ...
, against the
San Antonio Silver Stars
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...
. The Shock won game 3 and the WNBA title, 76–60; the contest was broadcast nationally on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
Special events
The building serves as the home to EMU athletics and also hosts a wide variety of special events including concerts, conferences, graduations, fairs, trade shows, political rallies, and more. Some of our more notable events include Jay-Z, Bob Seger, Bernie Sanders, Ellie Goulding, The Killers, Stone Sour, Halestorm, Tiesto, St. Joseph Charity Ball, Harlem Globetrotters, and the WNBA Finals.
The center was used for the graduation of the EMU class of 2000. The main speaker was William Jefferson Clinton with an intro from his Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, an EMU alumnus.
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
Convocation CenterOfficial Eastern Michigan University website
{{Mid-American Conference basketball venue navbox
Eastern Michigan Eagles basketball
College basketball venues in the United States
Basketball venues in Michigan
Buildings at Eastern Michigan University
Sports venues completed in 1998
Event venues established in 1998
1998 establishments in Michigan
Sports venues in Washtenaw County, Michigan