STORRS, Conn. — UConn announced this week that its on-campus arena, formerly known as Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, will now be known as M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion. The university and M&T Bank agreed to a 20-year, $32.5 million deal, per Hartford Business.
“Part of what makes UConn the Basketball Capital of the World is the incredible home court advantage our teams enjoy while playing on campus,” said UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict in a statement. “So many great memories and moments have been made over the last 36 years in the arena that Harry A. Gampel originally made possible.
“We are grateful to our partners at M&T Bank for their ongoing commitment to our mission for excellence and thrilled to attach M&T Bank’s name to our basketball home with the introduction of M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion. In this ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, the investment from our state and support from M&T Bank will help ensure the continued success that we have all enjoyed over the years.”
The name change coincides with a multi-phase renovation of the building that’s being funded by $99.4 million in non-tax revenue raised through the sale of State of Connecticut “UConn 2000” bonds.
UConn has completed the first phase of its two-part renovation project, which included a new roof, new grab-and-go concessions on the concourse, a new press conference room, new coaches’ lounges, new recruiting spaces, a new training room, and a state-of-the-art shared locker room for the Huskies’ men’s and women’s basketball teams. On Friday, the day after the space was debuted to the players and coaches, the media was given a tour.
“What we wanted when we took this on was to create something that is on the same level as our programs’ success,” Benedict told the media.
The entrance to the facilities is under the bleachers on the arena’s south-side tunnel, across from the UConn bench. A doorway bearing the moniker “The Basketball Capital of the World” leads directly into the newly-constructed space. Upon entry, there is a coaches’ conference room.
“What you have is something that is set up in a way, specifically, the way coaches and student-athletes like to work on a game day. So when you walk in, the first thing that’s going to be there on your right is the coaches’ meeting space, which is set up more like a conference room. There’s a TV so they can put on games or game film, whatever they want to do. But that’s important to our coaches because they don’t want to necessarily, especially at halftime, they don’t want to go into the locker room space until they typically meet first,” Benedict told reporters.
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Just beyond the conference room is a training room with hot and cold tubs and treatment tables. Benedict explained there’s a back door to enter the training room for athletes from opposing teams to use as needed. The training room will provide the necessary in-house space to prepare on game day, instead of relying on the external practice facility.
“Most of the time, our kids used what was over in Werth [practice facility] before they came up,” Benedict said. “What’s going to happen now is they’re going to come over here, and they’re going to spend their whole time preparing for the game here.”
Upon entering the locker room, the word “Huskies” is displayed in back-lit navy and white lettering on the ceiling. Each player’s headshot appears on a screen above their locker, where game-day jerseys will hang. Because the men and women will share the space, a quick hit of a button changes the displays between the women’s and men’s rosters. Each locker has two storage cubbies to be split between a player on the women’s team and her locker counterpart on the men’s team.
Where there used to be separate, smaller locker rooms for each team, Benedict explained that sharing allows for better use of the space by providing a less cramped locker room. The new layout adds a spacious, dual-purpose lounge beyond the locker room.
“Beyond the locker room, we have space for guests, former players, potentially prospects and recruits,” Benedict explained. “We have two kind of areas — more of a casual space, and then we have [what] we call the ‘closing room.’ It can be sectioned off with glass … if you want to have a small meeting room with a student-athlete or a prospect’s family.”
The “casual space” includes a TV with gaming systems, leather couches and mini fridges with snacks and drinks. The “closing room” is intended for private conversations between recruits and their families. It’s adorned with each of the program’s 18 championship rings (12 for the women, 6 for the men) and video screens replaying some of the program’s legendary players and moments. Throughout the facility, intricate details honor the history of the programs.
“You’ll see a lot of red trim throughout the building,” Dr. Jessica Chrabaszcz, UConn’s Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Competitive Excellence, told reporters. “This carpet’s the same carpet that’s in the coaches’ conference room. The maple floor is the same floor that’s in the locker room. There’s just little tidbits that tie all the spaces into one another. The triangles on the seats [are] embossed for the triangles on the roof. So we really try to pay homage and honor Gampel Pavilion and bring it into a lot of different spaces.”
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Phase two of the renovations, expected to begin in March 2027, will prioritize fan amenities and external partner engagement. UConn described the updates to include “premium gameday spaces, and additional philanthropy-focused spaces designed to generate new income streams.”
The revenue-sharing era of college sports incentivizes big-time investment from schools to remain competitive. M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion is more than a new name for an old arena; it’s tangible evidence that UConn is diversifying its revenue streams and materially investing in its future as a major player in college athletics.
