Ocean Bank Convocation Center (formerly known as Sunblazer Arena, Golden Panther Arena, Pharmed Arena, U.S. Century Bank Arena, and FIU Arena) is a 5,000-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 ...

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

Westchester, Florida Westchester is a census-designated place (CDP) and neighborhood in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Prior to the 2020 U.S. Census, neighboring University Park CDP was merged into Westchester CDP, effectively doubling its geography and population. Pe ...

. It was opened on February 1, 1986, and is home to the

FIU Panthers The FIU Panthers (also known as Florida INT Panthers) are the athletic teams representing Florida International University, an American public university located in Westchester, Florida. The Panthers currently compete in National Collegiate Ath ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

s. It was originally named Sunblazer Arena, but was renamed Golden Panther Arena when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987. It was renamed Pharmed Arena in 2004, and then was briefly named FIU Arena in 2008 before being renamed to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The facility reverted to the FIU Arena name again from 2014 to 2018 before being renamed the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in 2018. The arena contains a wooden arena floor. It is also used for banquets, conventions,

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

trade shows A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

, and graduations including FIU's own commencement ceremonies. The main court is a Cincinnati Robbins perma-cushion maple

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

basketball floor, made up of some of wood. Four retractable basketball backboards allow for the floor to be divided into two practice courts, while Hydra Goal II portable basketball standards are used for intercollegiate competition. Nevco scoreboards are found at either end. Support areas include an equipment room, athletic training room, 876 lockers in six different, offices and boardrooms for FIU athletic administrators, and full-service dressing rooms. Academic space in the building includes three classrooms, as well as physiology and

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human healt ...

laboratories. In late 2008, U.S. Century Bank bought naming rights to the arena, changing the arena's name to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The arena was scheduled to undergo a $5 million renovation beginning in the summer or fall of 2010, with a completion date of early 2011. In January 2015, the Ocean Bank Convocation Center hosted the

Miss Universe 2014 Miss Universe 2014 was the 63rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the FIU Arena in Florida, United States on January 25, 2015. This was the first time in the history of the competition that the pageant was not during the year the title was awarde ...

pageant. On January 26th, 2019, the arena broke its attendance record for a basketball game with 4,710 spectators for a game between FIU and their local rivals Florida Atlantic.

References

External links

U.S. Century Bank Arena
{{Conference USA basketball venue navbox College basketball venues in the United States College volleyball venues in the United States U.S. Century Bank Arena Basketball venues in Florida 1986 establishments in Florida Sports venues completed in 1986

See also

References

External links