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The George Gervin GameAbover Center (formerly the Convocation Center) is in its 24th season as the crown jewel of EMU athletics, opened up a new era of excitement on the west campus of EMU in the fall of 1998. The arena was renamed on Dec. 11, 2021, as a part of a halftime ceremony during the men's basketball game versus Florida International.
The new name is in honor of former student-athlete and NBA Legend George Gervin. The change was made possible through a generous commitment by GameAbove. GameAbove committed an additional $2.7 million to EMU Athletics to improve the facility's technology infrastructure and enhance the student-athlete and visitor experience, including upgrades to athletic training facilities, team meeting rooms, visitor suites, and the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame. GameAbove and its members have committed more than $25 million to EMU to support students, faculty, staff, and the Ypsilanti community.
The state-of-the-art, $29-million facility is the result of a decade-long effort to improve and upgrade university facilities and followed closely the opening of the $41-million Bruce T. Halle Library on the main campus.
Construction of the George Gervin GameAbove Center began in the spring of 1997 and culminated with its dedication game, Dec. 9, 1998, with a men’s basketball game against the University of Michigan in front of a crowd of 7,647.
Since its opening, the George Gervin GameAbove Center has served as home court for the Eagles’ men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. The EMU women’s gymnastics team have held several meets on the arena floor.
The Convocation Center has also served as the site for six Mid-American Conference Championships. EMU hosted the 2000, 2007 and 2014 MAC Gymnastics Championship and the 2002, 2009 and 2016 MAC Wrestling Championship. The arena has been the host site for 10 first-round MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament games, nine first-round games for the men’s basketball squad and four first-round MAC Volleyball Tournament games. The building also played host for the EMU women’s basketball team’s upset of the University of Michigan in the First Round of the 2011 Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) and a pair of contests during the 2014 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI). Meanwhile, the EMU men’s basketball team hosted the first round of the 2014 and 2018 CollegeInsider.com Tournament for the program’s first postseason home games.
The George Gervin GameAbove Center also played host to the 2008 WNBA’s Eastern Conference Finals and the WNBA Championship, as the Detroit Shock utilized the facility for the playoffs.
Along with their commitment to EMU Athletics, the George Gervin GameAbove Center staff has brought some of the finest entertainers in the world to Ypsilanti. The Convo has hosted acts by the Bob Seger, Black Crowes, Indigo Girls, Godsmack, Smashmouth, Ludacris, Bob Dylon, Toby Keith, Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls, Dave Chapelle, John Mayer and Jay-Z.
The George Gervin GameAbove Center is also the site for EMU’s spring and winter commencement ceremonies. Among other events that have taken place include numerous youth sporting competitions, high school commencements, trade shows, job fairs, conventions, charity and community awareness events as well as a circus.
The 204,316-square-foot facility features three user-friendly levels — arena, concourse and office — and three seating configurations to maximize crowd capacity and space usage. The largest seating capacity is for center-stage entertainment activities, with 9,500 seats available. The capacity for basketball games is approximately 8,800.
EMU’s athletic administration is located on the office level, along with offices for the EMU men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, rowing, tennis, golf, baseball, and lacrosse coaching staffs. The EMU Athletic Media Relations Office, as well as offices for the Convocation Center staff, are located on the office level.
The main athletic training room and office space for EMU’s sports medicine staff is located on the arena level as are strength and conditioning facilities and equipment rooms.
In the summer of 2012, the Convocation Center received a major face-lift, as a YESCO four-sided ceiling hung display sign, featuring video boards on all four sides, was installed above center court in the arena.
The fixture features four 10MM full color video boards, with each board’s active area measuring 15.7-foot wide by 11.5-foot tall. In addition, the system also features three ribbon displays on the west and east sides and under the scoreboard. The arena will also showcase an integrated light emitting diode (LED) courtside scorer’s table.
There is no doubt that the George Gervin GameAbove Center has become a special place for athletic events, but there is a warm spot in the hearts of Eastern Michigan fans for Bowen Field House, the home for men’s and women’s basketball games for 43 years.
Bowen was built in 1955 at a cost of $1.25 million. The facility has 79,529 square feet of floor space and includes an eight-laps-to-the-mile indoor track. An additional 9,394 square feet, along with new permanent seating, a new court and upgrading of the facility was completed in 1982 at a cost of $506,938.
Bowen still serves as home to EMU’s track teams and also serves as a practice facility for many of Eastern’s varsity squads.
Tale of the TapeCost - $29.6 million
Square Feet - 204,316
Seating Capacity (Basketball) - 8,784
Seating Capacity (Other Events) - 9,512
Construction Started: 1996
Dedication: December 12, 1998
Design/Build Team - Barton-Malow Company
Architects - Rossetti Associates of Birmingham/The Argos Group
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