siu arena

I've experienced many memorable moments while observing and covering high school basketball games since 1952. One of the most unforgettable was Anthony Smedley's steal and game-winning shot to lift Carver past favored Centralia in the 1963 state championship game at Assembly Hall in Champaign. But the one I recall most of all was Tom Parker's record 50-point performance in Collinsville's victory over Alton in the championship game of the Carbondale Holiday Tournament at the SIU Arena in 1967. I was really impressed with the SIU Arena. I had been there before, in 1965, for the Marion/Mount Vernon supersectional game. Next to Assembly Hall, I had seen nothing to compare with it...no pillars, no balcony, high ceiling, exceptional lighting, good sight lines, lots of room, a truly professional atmosphere. The SIU Arena is an 8,339-seat (it seems larger) multi-purpose facility on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Home of the SIU Salukis basketball team, it opened for the 1964-65 season. It also has been the site for musical concerts. And it was the site of a memorial service for the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon in 2003. Since 1965, it has hosted high school supersectional basketball games and the Carbondale Holiday Tournament. Next to Assembly Hall (now State Farm Center) and United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls, SIU Arena is the best basketball venue in Illinois.