Don Haskins Center

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Don Haskins Center
The Don
Location	El Paso, Texas Glory Road
Opened	1976
Closed	Open
Demolished	N/A
Owner	University of Texas at El Paso
Operator	University of Texas at El Paso
Surface	Hardwood
Architect	N/A
Former names
The Special Events Center
Tenants
UTEP Athletics
Capacity
12,000

The Don Haskins Center (capacity 12,000), the home of UTEP Miners basketball, is considered one of the top college basketball facilities in the United States and perhaps the best in Conference USA. With fans seated extremely close to the playing floor and the UTEP student section located near the opponent's bench, "The Don" is so notorious as a tough place for opponents to win that UTEP has historically had difficulty convincing top-rated teams to play there. The Don is the home of the UTEP Miners who are the only Division 1 Men's National Basketball Champions in the State of Texas (1966).

Built in 1976 as the Special Events Center, the venue replaced Memorial Gym. The Special Events Center was renamed after UTEP's legendary Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins in 1998. The arena was the site of a milestone win during the 1997-98 season, as coach Haskins notched his 700th career victory against SMU. The arena was also the site of the 1984, 1985, and 1990 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments.

The arena offers fans a comfortable yet intimate view of the action on the court, and is known for its extremely high decibel level when the stands are full. The Haskins Center features a Robbins Bio-Channel Star maple floor, installed in the summer of 2002, as well as two modern locker rooms, training facilities and basketball coaches' offices. The gameday environment for basketball was enhanced in recent years with the addition of four new scoreboards and two video replay boards to the arena. The arena now boasts a total of seven electronic scoreboards.

The Miner men's basketball team has posted a staggering 394-115 (.774) record in 30 years at "The Don," including a 364-94 (.795) record over the last 25 seasons.

UTEP won 25 straight home games from Jan. 23, 1987 to Dec. 16, 1989. The Miners have posted undefeated home records in three seasons -- 1983-84 (21 -0), 1985-86 (19-0) and 1988-89 (18-0). They also won the first 10 conference games they played there after joining Conference USA in 2005. UTEP has used this home-court advantage to defeat many top-10 ranked teams in the Don Haskins Center over the years, including #10 Arizona (1977), #5 Georgetown (1985), #5 Wyoming (1988), and #9 Utah (1993), among others.

UTEP has attracted 4,686,630 fans in 30 seasons at "The Don," an average of 9,208 per game during that span. The 12,000-seat arena has been sold out for UTEP basketball games 106 times. The arena also regularly hosts big-name concerts and other national touring events.

[edit] Don Haskins Center Specifications

Staging

    50 SICO 6' x 8' x 4' sections
    90 SICO 4' x 8' Tuff Deck
    20 Wenger 4' x 8' x 32"

Rigging

    Rigging grid over entire floor
    Height from floor to beam: 54'
    Height from floor to grid: 62'
    Weight capacity: 50,000 lb. per truss, 5,000 lb. per point

Spotlights

    4 Strong Supertrouper Carbon Arc
    4 Lycian SuperStar 2.5 Xenon

Power Available

    800Amps, 208v 3phase breakers
    400Amps, 208v 3phase disconnect
    200Amps, 208v 3phase disconnect
    100Amps, 208v 3phase disconnect
    200Amps, 208v 3phase breakers outside tunnel
    100Amps, 208v 3phase breakers outside tunnel

Loading

    Loading door: 16' high
    Loading ramp: 20' wide
    Trucks can load directly onto stage

Intercom

    3pin xlr jacks at both ends of the floor
    spot platforms
    sound board
    lighting console
    ClearCom Intercom

Dressing Rooms

    4 locker room/team dressing rooms, each with showers and restrooms
    Artist Green Room

Barricade

    1000' bicycle barricade

Production offices

    Two available 1  88 sq. ft.
    1  242 sq. ft.
    Located at the top of the tunnel

Production Phones

    In house

Production Parking

    Lot across street for trucks and buses
    Shore Power Available
     2 100Amps, 208v 3phase breakers
     2 60Amps, 208v 3phase breakers

[edit] External links

• UTEP Venues - Don Haskins Center

Current Basketball Arenas in Conference USA
Autry Court (Rice) • Avron B. Fogelman Arena (Tulane) • Bartow Arena (UAB) • Cam Henderson Center (Marshall) • Don Haskins Center (UTEP) • FedExForum (Memphis) • Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston) • Moody Coliseum (SMU) • Reed Green Coliseum (Southern Miss) • Reynolds Center (Tulsa) • UCF Arena (UCF) • Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (East Carolina)