The Student Development Complex Gymnasium is the home to the
men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball
teams.
The SDC Gym, which has been the home of Michigan Tech basketball
since 1980, is one of the top basketball arenas in the Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, if not all of NCAA Division
II.
Officially dedicated in September 1980, the facility’s
first game featured the Huskies recording a 66-57 triumph over
Northern Michigan on December 4, 1980. A crowd of 3,100 at that
game was the largest for nearly 23 years until the Huskies drew
3,570 for a NCAA Regional quarterfinal contest against Indianapolis
on March 14, 2003. The record was broken the very next night as
3,612 fans attended Michigan Tech’s semifinal game vs.
Southern Indiana. Seven of the top 10 crowds at the SDC Gym
occurred during a 47-day span late in the 2002-03 campaign.
A part of the $24 million Student Development Complex, the SDC
Gymnasium has a total seating capacity of 3,200 for basketball. The
facility features bleachers on three sides of the court, while
armchair seating is located on the north end. Another added feature
to the gymnasium is the balcony level, which is located above the
armchair foldup seats. Measuring 27 by 156 feet, the balcony
contains a press box and is equipped with bleacher seating for 850
spectators. A Daktronics scoreboard, three portable scorers’
tables containing illuminated advertisements, and remote-controlled
strobe lights for photography are other added attractions of the
facility.
The Huskies play on a Sta-Lock II hardwood floor, considered one
of the highest quality materials by flooring experts. The floor was
repainted and finished in the summer of 1995 and again in 2008.
A new Daktronics scoreboard was also installed prior to the
2008-09 season.
The facility received a small facelift in the fall of 2003 when
new logos and fresh paint were applied to the south wall of the
gym. In 2004, new high-efficiency fluorescent lighting was
installed, as was a 17-speaker digital audio system. In 2006, LED
lights were added to the backboards as part of the game timing
system.
The SDC Gymnasium was designed by the architectural firm of
Ralph Calder and Associates of Detroit, Mich. The court was
constructed by Horner Flooring of Dollar Bay, Mich., which has
provided playing floors for the NCAA Division I Championships and
NBA All-Star games in addition to numerous college and professional
basketball teams.
Along with being the home of Michigan Tech basketball and
volleyball, the SDC Gym also hosts events such as commencement
exercises and concerts.
Directions to the SDC Gym
From the South/East: Enter Houghton via US 41. Turn left (south)
at the first stoplight (MacInnes Drive). Continue on MacInnes Drive
around the curve. Student Development Complex on right. Main event
parking is in Lot 22.
From the West: Enter Houghton via M26. Turn right on Sharon
Avenue. Go 1.5 miles. Student Development Complex on left. Main
event parking is in Lot 22.
SDC Gym Photo Album
