CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC Chapel Hill officials are considering renovating the Dean E. Smith Center or building an all-new basketball arena for the Tar Heels.
The Dean E. Smith Center, or the 'Dean Dome', has been home to Carolina basketball for nearly 40 years. It has become one of the most recognized athletic venues in America.
A spokesperson for Carolina Athletics told WFMY News 2, no options are off the table. Here's what they said in a release:
"The Dean E. Smith Center has been an outstanding home for our Men’s Basketball program since 1986. In order to continue our championship success, we are investigating and analyzing multiple options for the arena – including renovating the Smith Center, keeping the building as-is, and building new. Our goal is to create the best experience possible for Tar Heel student-athletes and fans while potentially generating more revenue for the Department and enhancing the University community. Carolina is an innovative place that thrives on excellence both in the classroom and on the court; to continue that standard of excellence, we must examine all options."
Recent Renovations
The building has added a new ribbon board surrounding the court for the 2012-13 season and completely renovated the locker room and behind-the-scenes team areas before the 2016-17 season.
In 2018, the court was named 'Roy Williams Court' with the signature of the Hall-of-Fame coach added in two locations on the playing floor. Before that season, four new 19' x 100' videoboards were installed in each upper corner of the arena, replacing the existing 17.8' x 23.6' video boards.
In 2019 and 2022, additional accessible seating was added in multiple locations around the concourse level of the Smith Center.
History of the Dean Dome
The Tar Heels have been in the top five in the national attendance leaders every year but one since the Smith Center hosted its first full season in 1986-87.
The first game played in the dome featured No. 1 Carolina defeating No. 3 Duke, 95-92, in a battle of unbeaten teams on January 18, 1986.
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