McCarthey Athletic Center facts for kids
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The Kennel
The New Kennel K2 |
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February 2013
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 Spokane
Location in the United States
Spokane
Location in Washington (state)
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| Address | 801 N. Cincinnati Street |
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| Location | Gonzaga University Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°39′54″N 117°23′56″W / 47.665°N 117.399°W |
| Owner | Gonzaga University |
| Operator | Gonzaga University |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 24, 2003 |
| Opened | November 19, 2004 |
| Construction cost | $25 million ($38.7 million in 2022 ) |
| Architect | ALSC Architects & Ellerbe Becket |
| Project manager | Garco Construction Inc. |
| Structural engineer | DCI Engineers Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs (2004–present) (Men's and Women's) (West Coast Conference, NCAA) |
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| Website | |
| McCarthey Athletic Center | |
The McCarthey Athletic Center, often called the MAC, is a big indoor sports building at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. It can hold 6,000 people! Opened in November 2004, it's the home court for the university's Bulldog basketball teams. These teams play in Division I of the NCAA, which is a top level for college sports.
The MAC is also known as "The New Kennel." This name comes from the school's older basketball arena, the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre, which was called "The Kennel" for 39 years. Now that the MAC is the main basketball arena, many fans just call it "The Kennel." The court is about 1,900 feet (579 meters) above sea level.
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Building the McCarthey Athletic Center
Ground was broken, meaning construction started, in April 2003. The new building was put where the old baseball field, Pecarovich Field, used to be. The McCarthey brothers from Salt Lake City helped pay for the new center with large donations. They were both students at Gonzaga and used to own a newspaper called The Salt Lake Tribune.
A new baseball stadium was built nearby and opened in 2007. While the new baseball field was being built, the Bulldogs baseball team played at Avista Stadium. This stadium is home to the Spokane Indians, a minor league team.
First Games and Big Wins
The McCarthey Athletic Center officially opened on November 19, 2004. The first game played there was a basketball match where Gonzaga won against Portland State with a score of 98–80.
In March 2006, the MAC hosted the WCC tournament. This was the first time this big event was held in Spokane. The older "Kennel" was too small, and the larger Spokane Arena was busy. Gonzaga won both of its games in the tournament, with one game going into overtime!
Amazing Home Winning Streaks
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had some incredible winning streaks at the McCarthey Athletic Center. By February 2007, the team had won 38 games in a row in the arena. They also had a 50-game winning streak at home, which included games played at the old Martin Centre. This was the longest home winning streak in the NCAA at the time. Santa Clara was the team that finally ended this amazing streak.
Later, in February 2015, BYU ended another long home winning streak for Gonzaga. This time, Gonzaga had won 41 games in a row at the McCarthey Athletic Center, which was also the longest active home winning streak in the NCAA at that moment.
As of February 6, 2020, the Gonzaga men's basketball team had a record of 223 wins and only 15 losses at the McCarthey Athletic Center. This includes 105 wins and 8 losses in non-conference games, and 116 wins and 7 losses in conference games. They also won both of their WCC tournament games played there.
More Than Just Basketball
The McCarthey Athletic Center isn't just for basketball games! It has also been a place for many concerts. Bands like Switchfoot, Yellowcard, and Death Cab for Cutie have performed there. Famous comedians such as Jeff Foxworthy and Kevin Hart have also made people laugh on its stage.
Special Records Made Here
- On January 16, 2010, Heather Bowman, a women's basketball player, broke the record for the most points scored in the WCC.
- On March 21, 2011, Courtney Vandersloot became the first basketball player (men's or women's) to score 2,000 points and make 1,000 assists in their college career.
Hosting NCAA Women's Tournaments
The McCarthey Athletic Center has also been chosen to host games for the Division I women's basketball tournament. It hosted games in the first and second rounds in 2011, 2012, 2013, and again in 2024. This shows how important and well-equipped the arena is for major college sports events.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
