The University of North Carolina has hit pause on discussions about the future of the Smith Center until the Tar Heels hire their next men’s basketball coach and that coach has had time to develop his program.
According to WRAL, the decision will allow the school to focus on finding a new coach after firing Hubert Davis just says after UNC was eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
“We must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level,” said outgoing athletics director Bubba Cunningham in a statement when Davis was fired.
A spirited debate has arisen over whether to renovate the Tar Heels' existing arena or build new.
School officials estimate that keeping the facility operational for the next 20 years would cost more than $150 million, while a complete overhaul of the existing structure would cost around $600 million. Officials estimate that building a new facility would cost around $800 million.
WRAL reported that a large part of the debate centers around what to do about roughly 4,300 legacy seat holders, those who received rights in perpetuity to seats in the Smith Center in exchange for their contributions to the building’s construction 40 years ago.
