What to expect from renovated Assembly Hall

Assembly Hall is one of the most difficult home courts to play at for opponents saw a recent update this offseason, what can fans expect to see on October 14th?

The $45 million dollar expansion and renovation project is in its final stages. Assembly Hall is less than 60 days from the opening ceremonies on homecoming weekend. It will be the first time fans and athletes will get to experience the updates made to the basketball arena.

The official naming rights of Assembly Hall will be after philanthropist Cindy Simon Skjodt who donated $40 million dollars to fund the renovations. Simon Skjodt’s father, Mel Simon was one of the former co-owners of the Indiana Pacers. Her donation is the largest of any to the Indiana University Athletic Program. The donations are used to help the $150 million dollar plan to renovate and update the athletic facilities. Less than a decade ago, renovations seemed unlikely to the arena that first served in 1971. Nine years later we see that plans have changed thanks in large part to Cindy.

Another key figure in the state of Indiana and the Bloomington community, Ken Nunn, donated $2 million dollars last April and will be dedicated with the naming rights of the entrance of Assembly Hall.

Here is a look at some of the recent updates to Assembly Hall and the layouts of what it should look like inside come October 14th…

April 2015, groundbreaking began

Nearly a year later…

New second deck above the south entrance…

Most recent updates on the interior.

Another important part of the update to Assembly Hall will include the Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology which was also funded from the gift of $5 million dollars from Indiana alum Mark Cuban.

The Cuban Center will also include one of the few places where 360 degree cameras will be used during live games. The multi-camera replay allows you to virtually see a play in motion while being any where in the arena. This is the type of technology that will be offered in the west wing of Assembly Hall.

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The only question mark about the complete over haul is the change in atmosphere. Does the changes to the shape and addition of second deck press seating change the way sound can be created in the arena?

In 2014, Assembly Hall recorded an average of 115.3 dB reading. For those who don’t know the comparison (I didn’t either), playing at Assembly Hall noise level is equivalent to sitting front row at a rock concert (avg. 114 dB) and a small plane taking off (118 dB). Imagine that for 40 straight minutes. It would make it nearly impossible to communicate and even more difficult to concentrate. I wonder if the updates to the North and South sides of the arena will have an effect on the noise level.

Let’s just say, October 14th can’t come soon enough.