ESPN's Rece Davis says it's time Alabama basketball gets a new arena
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As far as first concerts go, Rece Davis has most people beat. The ESPN broadcaster grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and still remembers traveling down to Tuscaloosa with his mom and dad to see Elvis Presley perform inside Coleman Coliseum. The year was 1971, and Davis was 5 years old.
That was Davis’ first time inside Coleman Coliseum. Fifty-three years later, “the King” is long gone, but Coleman is still rocking. Saturday morning, the venue will play host to ESPN’s College GameDay where Davis will be on set to preview No. 14 Alabama basketball’s game against No. 4 Tennessee later that night.
While Davis expects the Crimson Tide and Volunteers to put on another big show inside Coleman, he believes it might be time to draw the curtains on the 56-year-old arena.
“They need a new building... This building’s old,” Davis said during a media availability inside Coleman Coliseum on Friday, “and what you need is something a little more intimate.”
Davis, who graduated from Alabama in 1988, stated that he’s a friend of UA athletics director Greg Byrne and commended him for the work the university has done to improve Coleman over the years.
“They’ve done an amazing job of making this place so much better than it was when I was in school — way better,” Davis said. “They’ve done everything you can possibly do to make this place better, but I do think it’s appropriate that eventually, when finances dictate that it’s feasible… [a new arena] would be something that would really add to and help the program.”
After initially making plans to renovate Coleman Coliseum in 2018, Alabama approved a plan to build a new 10,000-seat arena on campus last February. The project was originally slated to cost $183 million. However, in February 2023, Byrne said the cost had risen to roughly $250 million.
Earlier this week, Byrne addressed the plan for a new arena during an interview with "the Next Round," stating he didn’t have anything new to announce.
"I will tell you, our fundraising staff continues to do a really good job," Byrne said. "I know sometimes people think $100 million dollars is pocket change."
While Alabama fans are eager for their team to get a new venue, Coleman’s outdated appearance hasn’t hurt the Crimson Tide on the court. Alabama is in contention to repeat as regular-season SEC champions in 2023, largely due to its home success the past two seasons. The Crimson Tide is 13-1 at home this season after posting a perfect 15-0 mark inside Coleman Coliseum last season.
Alabama coach Nate Oats has praised Crimson Tide fans for their support several times this season. Friday, he called for another strong showing inside Coleman Coliseum for Saturday’s marquee matchup.
“The crowd has been amazing this year, and it should be a great environment,” Oats said... “We wanna make sure that we’re being respectful and considerate of our language with signs and everything for College GameDay and during the game.
“It’s gonna be a fun Saturday morning, a fun Saturday night. We’re gonna have a ton of fun. Let’s just try to remind the fans to be mindful of our language during both events, College GameDay and the game at night, just to represent the University of Alabama, the state of Alabama like it should be represented.”
Saturday will mark the first time Alabama basketball will play host to College GameDay since the show started previewing basketball games in 2005. The show will be broadcast on ABC from 11 a.m. to noon CT. Coleman Coliseum’s doors will open to students at 9:30 a.m. and then to the public at 10 a.m. Admission is free.
“I think it really speaks volumes for what Nate and his entire staff have been able to do in terms of creating consistency and also creating a level of excellence,” Davis said Friday of College GameDay’s arrival in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama (20-8, 12-3 in the SEC) and Tennessee (22-6, 12-3) will square off for sole possession of first place in the SEC standings at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN.