jason
12-16-2009, 04:46 PM
Cowboys Stadium's transformation to basketball arena nearing completion 3:18 PM CT
03:32 PM CST on Wednesday, December 16, 2009
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
jmosier@dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON — The transformation of Cowboys Stadium into a basketball arena is still a couple of days away, but a key piece is nearly finished.
Workers started installing 350 maple panels this morning to create the floor for Saturday’s game between the University of Texas and University of North Carolina, the first basketball game at the new $1.15 billion stadium.
Because the floor sits atop a 25˝-inch aluminum platform, the hardwood surface will be much larger than most basketball floors, said Doug Hamar, president and CEO of Horner Sports Flooring.
“We don’t want the guys running right off and having to jump down two feet,” Hamar said.
The other construction, which started Monday, includes installing about 8,600 temporary seats and creating the platform for the floor. A second, smaller scoreboard will hang from the bottom of the stadium’s permanent center-hung video board to accommodate fans on the floor.
Saturday’s game will be a tune-up for February’s NBA All-Star Game. That contest is expected to break the U.S. record for the largest crowd at a basketball game.
On Saturday, the upper deck at Cowboys Stadium will be closed, and the attendance is expected to be in the high 30,000 range, although this configuration could handle about 46,000.
LINK (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/121609dnmetstadiumbasketball.35c8f7c16.html)
plenty of tickets available online (especially on ebay) for reasonable prices...
03:32 PM CST on Wednesday, December 16, 2009
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
jmosier@dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON — The transformation of Cowboys Stadium into a basketball arena is still a couple of days away, but a key piece is nearly finished.
Workers started installing 350 maple panels this morning to create the floor for Saturday’s game between the University of Texas and University of North Carolina, the first basketball game at the new $1.15 billion stadium.
Because the floor sits atop a 25˝-inch aluminum platform, the hardwood surface will be much larger than most basketball floors, said Doug Hamar, president and CEO of Horner Sports Flooring.
“We don’t want the guys running right off and having to jump down two feet,” Hamar said.
The other construction, which started Monday, includes installing about 8,600 temporary seats and creating the platform for the floor. A second, smaller scoreboard will hang from the bottom of the stadium’s permanent center-hung video board to accommodate fans on the floor.
Saturday’s game will be a tune-up for February’s NBA All-Star Game. That contest is expected to break the U.S. record for the largest crowd at a basketball game.
On Saturday, the upper deck at Cowboys Stadium will be closed, and the attendance is expected to be in the high 30,000 range, although this configuration could handle about 46,000.
LINK (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/121609dnmetstadiumbasketball.35c8f7c16.html)
plenty of tickets available online (especially on ebay) for reasonable prices...