The University of Houston will not begin the 2018-19 season at the Fertitta Center, a move made to accommodate the arena’s renovation schedule.
Due to the ongoing renovations to their home venue, Houston’s men’s and women’s basketball programs have played their 2017-18 home games at Texas Southern’s H&PE Arena. That arrangement is intended to accommodate work to the Fertitta Center, which was expected to be completed for the 2018-19 season.
While it is anticipated that Houston basketball will settled into the renovated arena at some point during the 2018-19 college basketball campaign, construction is not expected to be finished before the start of next season. The two programs are expected to return to H&PE Arena before arriving at the renovated Fertitta Center, but the exact timing is unknown at this point. More from The Houston Chronicle:
“In all likelihood we’re going to need to start the season away from home,” [athletic director Chris] Pezman said.
Pezman did not have an exact timetable when the Cougars could move into the Fertitta Center, although it’s expected to be sometime in December.
Houston’s home arena originally opened as Hofheinz Pavilion in 1969, but is assuming the Fertitta Center name as the result of the ongoing $60-million project. Construction began last year.
Rendering courtesy of the University of Houston.
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