Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,299-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Storrs, Connecticut Storrs ( ) is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Mansfield, Connecticut, Mansfield in eastern Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The village is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, ...

, United States, on the campus of the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

(UConn). The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on-campus arena in New England. It was named after industrialist and 1943 UConn graduate Harry A. Gampel, a philanthropist who walked with Martin Luther King Jr., and who donated $1 million for the construction of the arena. It is about . Gampel Pavilion is the primary home to the

UConn Huskies men's basketball The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I college basketball, men's college basketball team of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. They currently play in the Big East Conference and are co ...

and

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...

teams. It was formerly the home of the women's volleyball team. Both the men's and women’s basketball teams also play at the PeoplesBank Arena in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, playing roughly half the season in each venue. Separate season ticket packages are offered for each venue. The pavilion is the centerpiece of the UConn Sports Center, which also includes Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.

Construction

Gampel Pavilion replaced the Hugh S. Greer Field House, which still stands to the northwest of the pavilion but has a much smaller capacity (4,604). The facility has been expanded three times. As originally constructed, it seated 8,241. After the 1995–96 season, 1,900 seats were added around the entrances, increasing capacity to 10,027. A seating adjustment after the 2001–02 season added 140 more seats to result in the current capacity. In the summer of 2017 a project began to replace the aging roof, which was completed in October 2017. During that time, the volleyball team played some of its fall home games in Greer Field House.

First game

The first basketball game was played on January 27, 1990, between the then 20th-ranked Huskies and the 15th-ranked St. John's Redmen (now Red Storm). UConn won 72–58.

Home court advantage

From 1990 through 2025 the Huskies men's basketball team has a 232–43 record at Gampel Pavilion. Source:

International basketball games

Banners

The banners for the men's and women's basketball teams have been taken down and in their place are now large boards on the walls listing the years the teams have made the NIT, NCAA Tournament, Sweet 16, and Elite 8, along with their Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The National Championship Banners and NIT Championship Banners have been replaced with newer versions, along with banners commemorating

Jim Calhoun James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is an American former college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships ( ...

and

Geno Auriemma Luigi "Geno" Auriemma (born March 23, 1954) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. He holds the NCAA basketball records for wins and winning percentage with a mi ...

's Hall of Fame inductions. Located throughout the concourse of Gampel Pavilion are plaques recognizing the Huskies of Honor, a recognition program that began in 2006 and honors the most significant figures in the history of the UConn basketball programs.

References