Hanner Fieldhouse is a 4,325-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
Statesboro in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. It was built in 1969 and is home to the
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hi ...
men's basketball,
women's basketball and
women's volleyball teams. It hosted the 1985 and 1992
Atlantic Sun Conference
The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Div ...
men's basketball tournaments.
In addition to athletic events, Hanner Fieldhouse also is home to the university's fall commencement ceremonies and featured an election rally by then-president
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in 2006. In 2007, the university held three separate ceremonies at the facility to accommodate the university's growing number of graduates. The older Hanner Gymnasium, which is part of the newer complex, hosted a
Rolling Stones concert on May 4, 1965.
On July 21, 2014, the university announced that Hanner Fieldhouse was closed until further notice for construction and more information would be provided as the details became available. In October, 2014 the Fieldhouse reopened after minor renovations and held the university's 23rd-annual fall commencement.
New arena
In February 2021, Georgia Southern unveiled plans for a new convocation center in the university's "South Campus" expansion to replace Hanner Fieldhouse. The convocation center is planned to be named after the late
Jack and Ruth Ann Hill, both of whom were Georgia Southern alumni. Natives of nearby
Reidsville, Jack Hill was a long-serving state senator whose district included Statesboro and Bulloch County, and Ruth Ann Hill was a career educator, retiring as principal of Reidsville Elementary School. The convocation center is expected to cost $64.4 million and seat 5,500 people for basketball games and up to 5,900 for convocation, commencement, and other events. Groundbreaking for the new convocation center took place on May 26, 2022, and the center is projected to open in the spring of 2024.
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 uni ...
References
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