Renovated McKale 'really coming together'

The Arizona athletic director popped out his cellphone, took pictures of the hard-hatted, fluorescent-coated (read: goofy looking) media group behind him, and immediately posted them on Twitter.

He was having fun, and why not?

Things have been mostly better than expected during the $30 million renovation to the UA’s 41-year-old arena this summer.

The work has been quick enough to allow a public debut for UA’s home volleyball opener on Sept. 5, while McKale will be fully complete in time for the Wildcats’ Nov. 14 men’s basketball opener against Mount St. Mary’s.

The renovations have impressed enough to help land a commitment from five-star guard Allonzo Trier, who said earlier this month the McKale work was “special to me.” And the project attracted a yet-to-be named former Wildcat basketball player to donate an unspecified amount to the program, Byrne said.

There has been only one problem, and Byrne had some fun over that one, too.

“There was a live sewer line on the east side that we didn’t know about,” Byrne said. “I don’t know if you ever want to find a live sewer line that’s a surprise.”

The sewer issue delayed the east-side work about two weeks, but overall things have been trouble-free.

“It’s all really coming together,” Byrne said. “I think one of the things we’re most pleased about is when you look at the money we’re investing… you’ll see we’re getting a lot for the $30 million. I’ll put up the job with our renovation team against anybody in the country with what we’re doing.”

Suzy Mason, UA’s senior associate AD for facilities and events, said the arena will be usable for practices beginning Sept. 2 for volleyball and basketball. While it will be open for UA’s Red-Blue intrasquad basketball game on Oct. 18 and the Wildcats’ Nov. 9 exhibition game with Cal Poly Pomona, Byrne said capacity will be limited to 10,000 fans for those events because the work will not be complete.

“There’s still going to be some ongoing work to restroom and concession areas, so we have to make sure we have a good, safe environment,” Byrne said.

While UA has widely distributed photographs of the new McKale arena – which features all-new seating, with padded navy blue seats making up all nonstudent areas below the upper concourse — Byrne’s tour Friday also explored the brand-new team areas being completed under the south end stands.

There, the men’s and women’s basketball teams will have facilities that nearly mirror each other, including locker rooms, film rooms, coaches’ rooms and even minikitchens. The volleyball teams, both indoor and sand, will each have their own locker rooms in the southeast corner, too.

“I don’t think anyone in the Pac-12 will have a better set-up locker room wise … for these three sports,” Byrne said. “We’re very proud of it.”

Other noteworthy updates from Friday’s tour:

• McKale’s new capacity will be about 14,700, up from 14,545, due in part to seats that have filled in the southwest and southeast corners. There are now only three entrances to the floor: A players’ tunnel under the middle of the south stands, and the two existing corner exits in the northwest and northwest sides.
• Only about 500 to 600 season tickets remain for men’s basketball, most of them in the upper-seating areas.
• The student section will remain about 2,400 seats, with unpadded seats alternating in navy and red so as to make up a big “A” that is visible when the arena is empty. “That was an idea I had one morning on the Stairmaster,” Byrne said.
• All the padded navy seats have a red “A” stitched in them. UA also installed unpadded red seats above the upper concourse because, Byrne said, he and UA coach Sean Miller both wanted to keep red in the arena. As previously announced, the far upper yellow seats have been replaced by red ones.
• The minimart on the north lower level that is open on nongame days has been expanded, though Byrne said it is not scheduled to be part of the new “unlimited” food plan for athletes allowed by the NCAA. (Byrne said he will introduce the new food details to athletes on Monday but wouldn’t disclose them publicly until at some point afterward.)
• Total game-day concession points of sale have been doubled from 21 to 42, with stands on the east and west sides, with another on the lower level. Lines will form north to south, and there will be TVs, so fans waiting in line can still watch the action or see it on TV.
• Restrooms are being expanded and refurbished on the southeast, northeast and northwest sides.
• The basketball games will feature a more “spotlighted” effect, with the new LED lights to focus on the floor, while upper seating areas are darker.