Home of the Oakland basketball and volleyball teams is the Athletics Center O'rena, which is a part of Oakland University's Recreation and Athletics Center Complex located in the heart of campus. Site of some of the most enthusiastic crowds in the league, the atmosphere in the O'rena starts with Oakland's student section, the Grizz Gang, one of the most vocal groups among Horizon League student sections. With great sight lines from every seat, a large-scale video board, two concession areas and a merchandise center.
In April 2015 Oakland unveiled the blacktop court receiving over 10,000 votes from fans. The Golden Grizzlies have the nation's only all-black court which includes an outline of the state of Michigan and the bear head logo at center court. A new state-of-the-art sound and light system was also installed to enhance the game day experience.
The O'rena hallway received an upgraded look in 2016 with branded walls to highlight student-athletes, major wins and events within athletics as well as five large touch-screen, high-definition monitors to display game highlights, promotional items and a digital version of the Oakland Athletics Hall of Honor. A new lighting system in the hallway was also installed and the Gold Tile Program was initiated to replace the maroon tiles while allowing friends and supporters of Oakland University & Oakland University Athletics to 'leave their footprint' with a personalized gold tile.
Groundbreaking for the facility was in the fall of 1996, with the first game occurring on Nov. 17, 1998, when Oakland hosted No. 5 Michigan State in front of a packed house of over 4,000 fans and a regional television audience. In addition to the basketball court, the facility also includes locker rooms for all of Oakland's 18 intercollegiate sports, an athletic training room, office space for the athletic department, a media room, booster room, weight room, equipment room and a 1,000-seat top-of-the-line natatorium.
Part of the campus recreation complex, the recreation side of the facility includes a three-court gym, weight training and fitness area, multipurpose/aerobic rooms, racquetball and squash courts, a wellness center and classrooms and meeting areas.
Some of the top teams in the nation have visited the O'rena for men's and women's basketball including: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Always a tough place to play for Golden Grizzlies' opponents, Oakland has won more than 70 percent of its games in the 22 seasons that the facility has been in operation, including wins over Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas A&M.
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