Penn State basketball will make its triumphant and long-awaited return to its former basketball home, Rec Hall, on December 15th in a non-conference matchup against Princeton. The Nittany Lions have played at the Bryce Jordan Center, just one mile down Curtin Road from Rec Hall, since it opened in 1995, and many connected with the program have craved a return to Rec Hall, even if just for one game.
“We listen to our fans, we listen to our alums, we listen to our former players, and we heard you,” head coach Pat Chambers explained. “I get goosebumps, it’s an amazing feeling to know we’ll be playing a game at Rec Hall.”
The event will be termed “Retro Game” as the program will unlock some of the memories of past teams, games, and crowds that once packed Rec Hall. The arena is expected to pack 6,300 plus standing room, 2,100 of which will be student tickets and 4,200 of which will be general sale tickets.
In addition to Athletic Director Dave Joyner and head coach Pat Chambers, former head coach Bruce Parkhill was on hand to make the announcement in the Bryce Jordan Center media room. Parkhill referenced a memory of a father and a son walking down the corridor of Rec Hall and the son saying, “They really play their games here?”. Parkhill silently thought to himself, “Yeah, but you should see what it’s like when they do play games here.”
Some of the challenges involved with this process will include the transformation of the floor and the priorities of other teams such as volleyball and wrestling that use the space, but Chambers invoked the “One Team” mantra as something that binds the programs at Penn State together, and he thanked the generosity and selflessness of the other programs and the attitude of the athletic department with regards to this plan.
As far as what the teams will be wearing on “Retro Game” night, that’s still up for discussion.
“We actually were in Coach Parkhill’s house taking down pictures and we have some old video that we’ve looked at for uniforms, it’s something that we’re discussing currently and we’ll see,” Chambers explained.
Joyner then joked, “I’m not sure how the players will react to the little shorts.”
Check out the audio from the Special Annoucement about “Retro Game” at Rec Hall on December 14th.
Photo Credit: Zlatko Dizdarevic via Compfight cc