Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione Says Feasibility of a New Basketball Arena is Being Examined

With Lloyd Noble Center under constant criticism, the Sooners are once again reconsidering a brand new facility in the University North Park District.

NORMAN — Joe Castiglione hears all the complaints about Lloyd Noble Center.

The University of Oklahoma athletic director on Tuesday responded.

After the scheduled OU Board of Regents meeting at the Stephenson Research and Technology Center, Castiglione revealed the news that a new, off-campus basketball facility in the University North Park District of Norman is not dead yet.

“There's an effort that's been underway for the last few months,” Castiglione said. “We're working with the city and the county and a group team Norman who approached us about the reconsideration of an off-campus new arena that is part of an entertainment district.”

In 2017, a 10,000-seat arena to serve OU basketball north of West Robinson Street was proposed as a multi-use arts and entertainment venue. That idea has been in flux ever since, with a 5-4 city council decision to vote it down, a judge blocking it from municipal ballot and other challenges.

The site's land is still owned by the University of Oklahoma Foundation, Castiglione said, and has recently gained traction in the discussion to replace Lloyd Noble Center.

“That's an entirely new, a new effort,” Castglione said. “And this group has been working to really do its own deep-dive study.”

Castiglione said that study included the development of a broad market survey.

“The responses are being analyzed and that will be used in conjunction with other work done in the feasibility study,” Castiglione said. “Part of the feasibility study was to hire an architect to do a high-level schematic of how this entertainment district would operate and be set and positioned on that the land at the University North Park, how it interacts with other elements that are either already there under construction or plan for construction, and how the whole model creates an economic impact and obviously positive impact for the community of Norman and Cleveland County.”

Castiglione said he expects the process to be culminating in the next few months.

“Certainly in time for the June board meeting, maybe a little before then. And when when those results are done, we'll be happy to make them available.”

Castiglione said the idea of vacating LNC isn’t a done deal, either.

“At the same time, we've engaged an architect to study how the Lloyd Noble could be completely reimagined and rebuilt to be an arena that will serve our programs,” he said. “So, sort of a, I guess you could call it, a simultaneous effort — not waiting on one to do the other but having both going at the same time. So when we get the right results, then we can make the best decision.”

University North Park sits about 5 1/2 miles from the heart of the OU athletics facilities, about a 15-minute drive in afternoon traffic.

But Castiglione said he doesn’t have any major concerns about student-engagement at a facility that’s further away than even Lloyd Noble, which is 1.3 miles from McCasland Field House.

“We did a survey several years ago,” Castiglione said. “The students that come to games — about 85 percent of them drive. So driving to Lloyd Noble or driving over there. You know, I think, from their engagement, it wouldn't change that much.

“I know the the assumption is because it's on campus they’re gonna just walk right into Lloyd Noble, and that's really not been the case. Here it's just — the way Lloyd Noble located where it is, it’s still a long, long walk.”

OU men's coach Porter Moser made headlines on Monday when he was asked about the $9.5 million in renovations to the LNC's team suites, which were among a myriad athletic department items approved by the Board of Regents on Tuesday.

“What I will say,” Moser said, “is whatever goes, I think everyone knows the commitment needs to be towards having a new venue — a new venue for men’s basketball."

Moser, whose team missed the NCAA Tournament last year and is 15-16 this year ahead of Wednesday's Bedlam game at the Big 12 Tournament, has been a driving force in re-engaging the student body for home games.

“You look at some of the teams’ venues and atmospheres in this league, and it becomes very, very hard to play in,” Moser said. “From everything I’ve heard, everything is about moving in that direction. So I love that. I love that the focus is on the venue.

“I’m not ready to say which, where, when or anything. Let’s just move in that direction.”