‘A great experience.’ Take a look inside Eastern Kentucky’s renovated basketball arena.
The in-person experience for Eastern Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball games is about to get a whole lot better.
EKU’s home gym — Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond — is in the midst of a multi-phase renovation process.
The first two phases have been completed, with the third and final phase of the renovation set to begin at the end of EKU’s 2025 spring semester, with the goal of being completed before the start of EKU’s 2025 fall sports season.
But, with the first two phases of the renovation finished, Baptist Health Arena is open to the public again.
The ongoing renovations began in March, and temporarily forced several EKU sports out of the venue.
EKU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams played home games in Berea and Lexington during the fall. Eastern Kentucky’s volleyball team played all of its home matches during the fall inside the Rick Erdmann Olympic Sports Training Center on EKU’s campus.
But now, Baptist Health Arena is open again to host Eastern Kentucky’s Atlantic Sun Conference basketball games over the next few months. EKU’s spring 2025 graduation ceremonies will also take place inside Baptist Health Arena.
Other events that have typically been hosted inside the venue include EKU’s Big E Welcome and new student orientation, as well as the All “A” Classic high school basketball tournaments.
Concerts, conferences and other community events will also be held at the renovated facility.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Herald-Leader was welcomed inside the venue for an inside look at the changes that have been made to the facility, which was built in 1963.
“It’s exciting to see something that’s such an iconic facility to the campus, to be able to kind of breathe new life into it,” EKU President David McFaddin said Wednesday. “I think it’s a really exciting opportunity to do that.”
The two completed phases of the renovation have included upgrades to the basketball court, concourse and locker room areas, in addition to a 300-seat conference center, team rooms, a courtside club and a team store.
“For those who have been around EKU and EKU athletics for a long time, this still feels like home,” McFaddin said. “But it’s home with a lot of new amenities in it, and so I think it’s going to be a great experience.”
The final renovation phase — which will take place over the summer — will focus on updating the seating bowl.
Notably, the venue’s wooden laminated cross-arched roof, which spans 309 feet, remains.
This renovation project began under former EKU athletics director Matt Roan and has continued under Kyle Moats, who began in his current role last July.
“This region needs it. Richmond needs it. The university needed it,” said Moats, who mentioned $55 million as the price tag of the renovation. “So I’m just happy for the whole area that we’re going to have something we can be really proud of.”
“I think for everybody on our campus, everybody who’s an alum, everybody who’s a fan, everybody who’s a prospective student, there’s something about this to celebrate,” McFaddin added.
EKU basketball teams ready to move back into Alumni Coliseum
The first EKU basketball game at the new-look Baptist Health Arena will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, when the Colonels’ men’s program hosts North Florida. EKU boasts a 7-8 overall record and a 1-1 mark in ASUN Conference play.
The Colonels — who won a regular season conference title last season for the first time in more than 40 years — will need to win the end-of-season ASUN Conference Tournament in order to qualify for their first NCAA Tournament since 2014.
The first EKU women’s basketball game at the renovated Baptist Health Arena will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, when EKU hosts North Alabama. The Colonels women’s program just had a 10-game winning streak come to an end, but EKU still owns a healthy 11-4 overall record this season with a 1-1 mark in ASUN games.
EKU’s women’s basketball team hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2005. Head coach Greg Todd’s team won 22 games last season and competed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 7:09 AM.
