Hanner Fieldhouse is a 4,325-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 ...

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 so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. It was built in 1969 and was home to the

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (informally known as Southern or Georgia Southern) is a public university, public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The largest campus is in Statesboro, Georgia, Statesboro, with ...

men's 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 currently serves as home to the Georgia Southern Eagles women's volleyball team. It hosted the 1985 and 1992

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men's basketball tournaments. In addition to athletic events, Hanner Fieldhouse was also 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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

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 The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

concert on May 4, 1965. On July 21, 2014, the university announced that Hanner Fieldhouse was closed until further notice for construction. 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 arena was named the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, 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 Georgia 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 cost $64.4 million and seats 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 opened in December 2024. As of the 2024–25 season, Hill Convocation Center will begin hosting men's and women's basketball games while Hanner Fieldhouse will continue to host women's volleyball matches.

References

{{Cite web, url=https://my.georgiasouthern.edu/index.php?option=com_content&id=2282, title = MyGeorgiaSouthern Portal College basketball venues in the United States Georgia Southern Eagles men's basketball Basketball venues in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Bulloch County, Georgia 1969 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Sports venues completed in 1969

New arena

See also

References