McCarthey Athletic Center
| McCarthey Athletic Center |
Location: 801 N. Cincinnati St. Opened: November 19, 2004 Closed: Open Demolished: N/A Owner: Gonzaga University Operator: Gonzaga University Construction Coast: 25 million USD Tenants: Gonzaga University (2004-Present) Seating Capacity: 6,000 |
McCarthey Athletic Center is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Spokane, Washington. The arena opened in 2004. It is home to the Gonzaga University Bulldogs basketball program, and is often called "The New Kennel." This nickname was inherited from the school's former basketball arena, Charlotte Y. Martin Centre, popularly known as "The Kennel." It is notable that the arena did not see a home team loss in its first two years. As of the end of the 2005-06 season, the Gonzaga men's basketball team has not lost at the McCarthey Athletic Center, as they currently hold the longest home winning streak in men's college basketball (40).
Not only has it held basketball games for both women's and men's teams, it also was the venue for both a concert by punk-rock band Something Corporate and comedian Bill Cosby in its first year, and it recently hosted San Diego rock band Switchfoot in concert.
In 2006, the West Coast Conference postseason tournament came to the McCarthey Center, the first time the event has ever been held in Spokane. The original Kennel was too small to host the event; Spokane has a much larger arena (the Spokane Arena), but during the week of the WCC tournament, it is always booked for the Washington Class B state high school basketball tournament.
