McKeon Pavilion

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McKeon Pavilion is a 3,500 seat multi-purpose arena at St. Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. Home men's and women's basketball and volleyball games are held in the gymnasium, the team nickname being the Gaels. Many athletic camps for youths also use the gym, primarily in the summer, and other on-campus events, such as the Baccalaureate mass, are also held there. Banners commemorating successful seasons, championships and post-season appearances for all St. Mary's sports hang on the back wall. At well-attended games, the court-level bleachers opposite the benches are reserved entirely for students.

Common criticism of the gym, including by students, is its age and size. It is one of the smaller gyms in the West Coast Conference and thus cannot host the WCC Tournament. The seating is mainly along two sides, running along the long sides of the court. Behind one basket is a large wall, and behind another a handful of elevated, VIP seats. Seating is mostly bleacher-style, not stadium style. However, many feel that the small size of the gym adds to the intensity of the crowd at sold-out games, when the cheers of 3,500 fans are amplified due to the small space. While there has been talk of renovating or even replacing the gym, there is little funding for the project and most agree that any changes are still many years into the future.

With a new gym a distant dream, the college has made several upgrades to the facility. Prior to the 2005-2006 season new floors were installed. Before the 2006-2007 season, the lower level reserved seating (directly behind the benches) was changed from bleachers to stadium-style seats with backs. The bleachers in the student section (also known as Gaelforce) - opposite the benches - were painted dark blue. Large banners were hung from the railings separating the upper and lower seating sections, reading "Saint Mary's College" behind the reserved seating and "Gaelforce" behind the student section. More recently, the student section has been filled with Australian flags,^[1] reflecting the presence of four Australians on the 2007-08 Gaels squad, including emerging star Patrick Mills.^[2]

In recent memory, the gym has seen the 2001 women's basketball team and the 2005 men's basketball team reach the NCAA Tournament. The women's volleyball team has also achieved much success, reaching the post-season in 2004-2006. During the 2004-2005 season the men's basketball team posted a 15-1 record in their home gym en route to a bubble NCAA tournament berth. On January 8, 2005, the men's basketball team defeated West Coast Conference powerhouse Gonzaga University 89-81 in McKeon, ending a 17-game losing streak against the Zags and handing Gonzaga its first WCC loss in 17 games.

It opened January 21st, 1978. It is the largest enclosed arena in Contra Costa County.

[edit] Notes and references

v • d • e Current Basketball Arenas in the West Coast Conference Chiles Center (Portland) • Firestone Fieldhouse (Pepperdine) • Gersten Pavilion (Loyola Marymount) • Jenny Craig Pavilion (San Diego) • Leavey Center (Santa Clara) • McCarthey Athletic Center (Gonzaga) • McKeon Pavilion (St. Mary's) • War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco)