Any basketball recruit who has visited the University of Virginia in the last three years has been fed the same line at some point during his stay on campus: Come play in the best basketball arena in all of college basketball. </p>
<p>Many opposing fans would surely chuckle at hearing those words, chalking it up to just another coach exaggerating to impress some big-name prospect. But with the $130-million John Paul Jones Arena set to open this season the first game comes against Arizona on Nov. 12 Virginia coach Dave Leitao believes he has the evidence to back up such a bold statement. </p>
<p>The scoreboard, complete with Mitsubishi video screens, cost $7.5 million.
“If you took a checklist of everything you could want and need in an arena,” Leiato told Rivals.com, “it would be easy to see that the John Paul Jones Arena stands alone in every single area; from how fan-friendly it will be, to its accommodations, to how much of a home-court advantage it will provide.” </p>
<p>JPJ could certainly satisfy, if not exceed, some of the longest checklists, whether they came from fans or athletic directors. Located on campus - or Grounds at UVA - its 15,000 seats were specifically designed to be as close to the court as possible, and its 20 suites will generate millions annually. </p>
<p>Few expenses were spared when it came to the entertainment aspects as well. State-of-the-art audio and lighting systems have been installed, and the scoreboard system will feature four Mitsubishi screens, costing $7.5 million alone. Virginia associate athletic director John Oliver checked out video screens at three NBA arenas before selecting the video boards they would use. </p>
<p>The building will also house one-and-a-half practice courts for each of the men’s and women’s teams, along with training and weight rooms. There’s an academic center and a dining hall as well. </p>
<p>JPJ will offer plenty for non-basketball fans, too. It’s expected to host about 60 events outside of men’s and women’s basketball games each year, from concerts to monster truck shows. The Dave Matthews Band, which got its start in Charlottesville, will officially open the arena on Sept. 22. </p>
<p>The modern structure even found a way to please UVa founder Thomas Jefferson. Twenty-six roman columns, the same type that Jefferson originally designed all over campus, line the main entrance. </p>
<p>“We definitely have the best arena in the nation, hands down,” said Cavs junior shooting guard J.R. Reynolds, who averaged 17.0 points per game last season. “It might be better than some NBA arenas.” </p>
<p>“Everything we need will be right there. It’s got a place to eat, work out and do schoolwork. We don’t have to travel anywhere. We can get it all done in one place. Everybody is ready to move in now.”
It’s easy to appreciate Reynolds’ excitement when you consider where he and his teammates are coming from. University Hall, which was built in 1965 and seats around 8,400 fans, is the third-oldest arena in the ACC (Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium opened in 1940 and Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum in 1962, Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum opened in 1956, but has undergone vast renovations since) and also the second-smallest (Miami’s BankUnited Center holds 7,900). </p>
<p>“Obviously U-Hall goes back a long ways, and when you look at some of the other buildings we are almost the last to do something,” Oliver said. “The idea of building a new arena goes all the way back to Terry Holland (former UVa coach from 1974-1990 and athletic director from 1995-2001) and we were fortunate enough to discover a donor to support that effort.” </p>
<p>**That donor is Paul Tudor Jones II, after whose father the arena is named. Tudor Jones II, a 1976 UVa grad who became a billionaire trading commodities, covered more than 25 percent of the cost by giving $35 million. </p>
<p>Ninety-nine percent of the funds came from private donors, many of whom shelled out big bucks. It took $500,000 to reserve one of the 80 courtside seats.** </p>
<p>That type of money comes with a new set of expectations and pressure, perhaps premature and unfair for a program that is coming off a .500 season and hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2001. </p>
<p>Twenty-six roman columns on the arena’s exterior are a nod to UVa founder Thomas Jefferson.
But Leitao, who led the Cavaliers to a 15-15 record and a trip to the NIT in his first year in Charlottesville, only sees positives with the arrival of a new, expensive arena. </p>
<p>“This building represents something tangible and it’s going to help tremendously,” Leitao said. “It helps our staff show what this program is all about.” </p>
<p>Leitao, who has seen just about every size and shape of arena after 14 seasons as an assistant at Connecticut and three seasons as a head coach at DePaul, doesn’t think the size of the JPJ, one of the most debated topics during its design, will create any problems either. With U-Hall struggling to sell out games last season, many are wondering if the Cavs can consistently fill an arena nearly twice its size – and if JPJ can get loud enough to rival the noisy and raucous atmosphere that smaller arenas like Cameron and U-Hall provide. </p>
<p>“You have to have a good team first. That’s what draws fans,” Leitao said. “When you look at the vastness of the Dean Dome and the intimacy of Cameron they are two contrasting buildings that each have their own advantages. It will come down to who suits up that night and plays better.” </p>
<p>JPJ appears to have already put the Cavaliers in a position to do just that. Two of the four recruits in their 2006 class are ranked among the nation’s top 100 prospects, small forwards Jamil Tucker (No. 60) and Will Harris (No. 90). The Cavs failed to land a top 100 player in 2005. </p>
<p>Tucker and Harris, who are expected to make instant impacts, will join a veteran-laden team that boasts one of the nation’s top backcourts in Reynolds and junior point guard Sean Singletary, who earned first-team All-ACC honors after averaging a team-high 17.7 points and 4.2 assists last season. </p>
<p>“Coach Leitao is expecting big things, especially with the recruiting class coming in,” Reynolds said. “He did a great job recruiting and we have a great chance to win a lot more games next season.” </p>
<p>A more experienced and talented roster isn’t the only reason why Reynolds is envisioning more W’s. He thinks JPJ will be a significant factor too. </p>
<p>**“I don’t believe that just because it’s bigger it won’t be louder,” Reynolds said. “The students are going to be closer to the floor and the seats are so much closer to us. I don’t see why it won’t be louder than U-Hall. Just thinking about what that first game will be like gives me chill bumps, honestly.” **</p>
<p>It remains to be seen just how big a home-court advantage JPJ will create, but, at $130 million, it’s already responsible for creating the most expensive “chill-bumps” ever.