Desert Financial Arena Renovation Efforts Updated Ahead of Major Overhaul

TEMPE -- Change is coming to the home of Arizona State basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling in the years to come.

The previously announced renovations to Desert Financial Arena - a $100 million dollar endeavor - is "part of ASU’s Changing Futures campaign, an initiative to enhance access, sustainability and community impact through philanthropic investment" per an official statement

This comes after fans of the program have sounded concerns about the current state of the arena, as it has never undergone any major renovations since opening in 1974 - with many aspects of the arena, including the bathrooms, general airflow, and seating being pointed to as needing improvement.

Phase One is set to begin in May following the conclusion of the athletic calendar. This phase will include officially replacing the playing court for both basketball programs, while also adding 729 padded seats into the lower bowl that feature cupholders. Around 200 "premium" seats are planned to be constructed as well - with increased legroom being an emphasis, while four seats will be added between Arizona State's bench and the scorer's table to allow for a genuine premium experience.

Phase two and phase three are both expected to begin in the summer of 2027, although completion isn't expected until December 2029. The goal of phase two is to add new restrooms, renovate the ones that already exist, updating the main concourse, adding new "loge boxes" just above the lower bowl, updating seating in the upper bowl, and adding a new sound system.

Phase three will include creating a new court-level club, installing a new video board, upgrading concession offerings, and enhancing locker rooms - which will likely place Arizona State in the upper echelon of college athletics in terms of facilities.

Recent developments in this department are absolutely going to be consequential for Arizona State moving forward regardless of who the coach is, as this will be used as a future pitch for prospective recruits and will benefit programs that extend beyond basketball.

The plan continues to be that all athletic programs that utilize the facility will continue to be able to do so during this process, but fans should stay tuned to see how the different phases progress over the next year-plus.

Until then, Arizona State men's basketball will play two more home games this season, while the women's team will host two more at home over the next five days - playing Houston on Saturday and BYU on February 25.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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