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Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
James Madison University announced Friday that its basketball facility, scheduled to open in the fall of 2020, will be named the Union Bank & Trust Center. The naming-rights deal with Union Bank & Trust extends 10 years for $2.25 million.
Plans for the arena were announced in 2015. Groundbreaking for the Union Bank & Trust Center is scheduled for spring 2018. It will be located on the East Campus, with the cost estimated at $88 million.
The Union Bank & Trust Center will seat 8,500 for basketball and nearly 10,000 for events that involve floor seating. In a school release, JMU athletics director Jeff Bourne said the arena will be "a game-changer for our basketball programs."
The Union Bank & Trust partnership helped JMU reach the $12 million commitment goal established to proceed with construction plans. Fundraising for the project continues.
The Dukes have played since 1982 in the 6,426-seat Convocation Center.
The Union Bank & Trust Center will have a club area, courtside seating with a private hospitality area, state-of-the-art lighting and audio/video technology, a center-hung scoreboard and upper concourse ribbon boards, a student club area, a multipurpose event space, a team store and a Raising Cane's restaurant. A 1,500-space parking deck will be constructed next to the building.
The arena will include a practice gym, offices, academic areas, locker rooms, meeting rooms, a strength-and conditioning area, a sports-medicine area and amenities for the men's and women's basketball programs.
Jonathan Alger, JMU's president, said the Union Bank & Trust Center will be used for graduations, guest speakers, concerts, trade shows, high school sports and other events, in addition to Dukes basketball.
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