Owner Gonzaga University Surface Hardwood Opened 19 November 2004 Phone +1 509-313-6000 | Operator Gonzaga University Broke ground April 24, 2003 Capacity 6,000 Architecture firm Ellerbe Becket | |
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Location Gonzaga University
801 N. Cincinnati Street
Spokane, Washington Construction cost $25 million
($31.7 million in 2017 ) Address 801 N Cincinnati St, Spokane, WA 99258, USA Team Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball Similar Firestone Fieldhouse, McKeon Pavilion, Chiles Center, Gersten Pavilion, Jenny Craig Pavilion | ||
McCarthey Athletic Center or "MAC" is a 6,000-seat indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Opened twelve years ago in November 2004, it is home to the university's Bulldog basketball programs, members of the West Coast Conference (WCC) in Division I of the NCAA.
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Often called "The New Kennel," its nickname was inherited from the school's former basketball arena, Charlotte Y. Martin Centre, popularly known as "The Kennel," which had been home to the Bulldogs for 39 years. As the MAC has become the established basketball arena on campus its nickname as "The New Kennel" is gradually becoming "The Kennel" with the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre being known as the "Martin Centre." The elevation of the court is approximately 1,900 feet (580 m) above sea level.
Formerly the largest basketball arena in the WCC, it lost this distinction when BYU joined in 2011; the Marriott Center in Provo seats 19,000 – more than triple the MAC capacity.
History
Ground was broken in April 2003 on the site of the baseball venue, Pecarovich Field. The arena's naming rights went to the McCarthey brothers of Salt Lake City, as a result of major gifts by Gonzaga trustee Philip McCarthey and regent Thomas McCarthey; both are GU alumni and former owners of The Salt Lake Tribune. The new baseball stadium was later built to the south and opened in 2007; in the interim, Bulldogs played at Avista Stadium, home of the minor league Spokane Indians of the short-season Northwest League.
McCarthey Athletic Center opened in autumn 2004 on November 19, a 98–80 non-conference win over Portland State. In its second season, it hosted the WCC post-season tournament in March 2006; it was the event's first time in Spokane, as the original "Kennel" was considered too small and the larger Spokane Arena was unavailable due to annual scheduling conflicts. Gonzaga narrowly won its two games: the semifinal with San Diego went to overtime, and the final over Loyola Marymount was won by a single point.
By February 2007, Gonzaga had 38 consecutive wins in the MAC and a 50-game winning streak at home dating back to the Martin Centre. The Santa Clara Broncos ended what was, at the time, the longest home win streak in the NCAA. In February 2015, BYU snapped Gonzaga's 41-game home winning streak in the McCarthey Athletic Center, which was also the longest active home winning streak in the NCAA at the time. (The Cougars also won in the MAC in 2016 and 2017.)
Through the end of the 2016–17 season, the Zags are 177–14 (.927) in the building, which includes a 80–8 (.909) record in non-conference games, a 95–6 (.941) record in conference games, and a 2–0 (1.000) record in the WCC Tournament.
Concert venue
The MAC has also served as a venue for concerts by Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Ben Folds, Death Cab for Cutie, and Jay Sean. Comedians such as Bill Cosby, Jeff Foxworthy, and Kevin Hart have also performed.
Records
NCAA Women's Tournament
In October 2009, NCAA announced that McCarthey Athletic Center would be one of 16 locations that would host the first and second rounds of the Division I Women's Basketball Tournament in 2011. It also hosted the first and second rounds in 2012 and 2013.