STARKVILLE — Prior to this week, neither Chris Jans nor Sam Purcell had ever seen Humphrey Coliseum when it was not under renovation.
Both coaches were hired by Mississippi State in March 2022, at which point the $34.5 million project had recently gotten underway. The Bulldogs played the 2022-23 season with a home arena under construction, which was particularly noticeable in the concourses.
The MSU women’s team, coming off a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and ranked No. 25 in the preseason AP poll, christened the new-look building in its opening game Monday night against Alcorn State, defeating the Braves 77-42.
“I don’t know The Hump without a fence,” Purcell said last week. “It’s the entryway to the university. So the general public, a fan or a student, that’s their first image of Mississippi State. I know our fans are excited.”
The arena features a redesigned court with “Mississippi State” written in block lettering in the middle inside the outline of the state of Mississippi, replacing the “Banner M” logo that had previously adorned the court. The entrances and baseline seating are also new, as is a premium seating area known as the Legends Club.
Perhaps most notably as far as fans are concerned, the concourses have been updated and concession offerings expanded. Athletic director Zac Selmon also announced over the summer that the student section would be moved closer to the court.
Among the highlights of Monday’s experience was a new light show to accompany player introductions.
“We’re excited to bring these enhancements to basketball game days in Starkville,” assistant athletic director for fan experience Spencer McAnally said in a news release. “The light show is an NBA-style element that will make the game day atmosphere in The Hump one of the best in the country. Throughout the next few weeks and the season, we look forward to bringing more enhancements and new assets to basketball game days.”
Jordan Porter, a 2023 MSU graduate who last month took a job as a construction administrator for the university, was involved in the final stages of the renovations, making sure the concourses were finished before workers could build out the new concession stands and club areas.
“I’ve had friends text me several times saying they love it. It looks awesome,” Porter said. “That’s what matters to me the most; what people who have never seen it before think. I’ve been blessed enough to see it over the past six weeks. Seeing people’s first impressions of it was what I wanted to hear about.”
Porter specifically pointed out the walkway up to the east side of the arena, the large video boards just inside each entrance, the Legends Club and the new concession stands as his favorite changes and upgrades.
The Bulldog men’s team, which opens its season Wednesday in Chicago against Arizona State, will have to wait until Saturday’s home opener against Tennessee-Martin to experience the new arena. But Jans was confident that it will be well worth the wait.
“That’s all I know, is The Hump under construction,” Jans said Monday. “To me, it’s the norm, so I’m looking forward to the abnormal, if you will, which will be a finished product. Both the men’s and women’s teams are excited to get back in their quarters, their locker rooms, their video rooms, their lounges. We haven’t been in them since the season ended. There have been some obstacles that we’ve all had to overcome to keep moving forward.”
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