Facilities

LAKEFRONT ARENA (M/W Basketball + Volleyball)
The University of New Orleans men's and women's basketball programs are back in their permanent home, the multi-purpose Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena.
The arena, which suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, recently underwent major renovations that include new locker rooms, team lounge and new arena seating.

EXTERIOR REPAIRS
Installation of the new $1.5 million state of the art modified bitumen roof system has been completed with the highest available roof wind rating of 135mph. Replacement of the entire exterior metal fascia and sloped roof panels is also complete at a cost of $3.5 million. As part of a pre-Katrina project,
all four ramps were to be restored and resurfaced. This $800,000 endeavor has now been revived and work on the ramps will soon be underway. Together, these projects will give the Arena an entirely new look.

INTERIOR REPAIRS
The scope in the interior of the arena includes replacement of all permanent seats, lighting, sound system, scoreboards, main arena ceiling grid, and HVAC.

The new basketball floor has been installed, and the team locker rooms have been updated.

HISTORY

The facility officially opened on Nov. 26, 1983, when the Privateers hosted rival Louisiana State in a men's and women's basketball doubleheader. Since then, UNO Athletics has called the arena home, and the building has served as the homecourt for the school's men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs.

All Privateers' men's and women's basketball games are played on the arena's main court, which can accommodate 8,933 fans in comfort. Every theater-type seat offers an unobstructed view of the court. The arena also has an auxiliary gymnasium with room for two practice basketball courts or three volleyball courts and an indoor batting cage for baseball and golf. Adjacent to the auxiliary gym are eight locker rooms, a fully-equipped weightroom and a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility.

Also housed in the arena is the UNO Aquatic Center, which holds an Olympic-size 50-meter swimming pool (the pool is adjustable to a 25-meter/25-yard setup) with lockerrooms and a sauna. During the summer of 1997, a new 50-meter, six-lane outdoor swimming pool opened next to the arena which accommodates the new swimming program.

Since beginning play in the arena in 1983-84, the Privateer men's team has posted a sterling 242-65 (.788) record within its friendly confines, including a mark of 9-3 in 2004-05. In addition to being the homecourt of UNO basketball, Lakefront Arena also houses the program's offices.

In addition to serving as the home for UNO Athletics, Lakefront Arena also hosts a number of entertainment events. In 2001, the arena ranked fourth in the world in concert arena revenue for its size and was top-ranked university venue in its category. Concert events in 2003-04 included the likes of Tom Petty, John Mayer, REM, Kid Rock 311 and Dave Chapelle. Lakefront Arena is also an annual home to events like Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Disney on Ice, Wiggles, Barney, Dragon Tales Live, and The Harlem Globetrotters.

The arena, which has parking for 7,000 cars, is named for Nat G. Kiefer, the late state senator who aided UNO's efforts to obtain state funding for the $38 million construction of the facility. It can convert into a 1,500-seat theater for dance recitals or plays and host concerts, conventions, trade shows and sporting events (including boxing and wrestling matches).

The building was the site of the 1991 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four and the 1987 and 1993 National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America games.

Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena is located at 6801 Franklin Avenue, a half-block south of Lake Pontchartrain, and can best be reached by Interstate 610.

Maestri Field (Baseball)

Maestri Field at Privateer Park is located on UNO's east campus, about one mile from the main campus and near the intersection of Press Drive and Leon C. Simon Blvd. Along with the baseball diamond, the east campus is the site of Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena and UNO Tennis Facility.

This is the facility's 17th year of all-aluminum seating and a brick and wrought-iron facade which dramatically changed the park's appearance. Maestri Field underwent a complete surface facelift prior to the 2006 season.
The facelift included a complete reworking of the entire playing surface. Included in the renovation were new irrigation and drainage systems. Also, the entire sand based bermuda grass surface was skinned, laser graded and resodded. Improvements also included a 10' halo around the home plate area and a surrounding warning track enclosing the entire grass surface.

The park also includes a newly remodeled press box and a new lower fence and batter's eye. Included in the remodeled press box are media facilities that feature a game management area, two radio booths and a section for media and booster seating. The symmetrical field measures 330 feet down the lines, 370 feet in the power alleys and 405 feet to center field.
This year, the park will feature a new state-of-the-art scoreboard.

Prior to the 2005 season, UNO Chancellor Tim Ryan along with athletic director Jim Miller revealed a state-of-the-art clubhouse. The clubhouse, located behind the 3rd base stands includes a 60' wide screen television in the lounge and individual wooden lockers in the rear locker area.

Meanwhile, the playing surface remains one of the best in America. In January of 1991, the field and the UNO baseball staff were honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association with the Groundskeeper of the Year Award for the nation's best field. The field passed one of its biggest tests in 1993 when the New Orleans Zephyrs - then the Class AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers - played 64 home dates in their debut season successfully.

UNO has finished among the top 15 in NCAA home attendance eight times, including 10th in 1990 and 15th in 1996. The UNO attendance mark was set in 1987 when 85,884 (including postseason games) passed through its gates.

The park has played host to other events, including an exhibition series featuring the Italian National Team in the summer of 1990. UNO played host to and won the American South Conference Toumament in 1989. UNO and Maestri Field at Privateer Park have also been host for the 1982 NCAA South Regional, the 1987 South II Regional, the 1984 American Legion World Series and a 1987 American Legion regional tourney.

In 2003, the Dominic & Mary Musso hitting facility was completed, giving the Privateers the flexibility to hit as well as pitchers the opportunity to throw during bad weather days. Complete with the best video equipment, the Musso Hitting Facility is located down the left field line just past the seating area.
More renovations are on the way as the school is in the preliminary stages of putting together funding for a new grandstand and press box.

UNO Aquatic Center (M/W Swimming)

Housed in the Lakefront Arena is the UNO Aquatic Center, which holds an Olympic-size 50-meter swimming pool (the pool is adjustable to a 25-meter/25-yard setup) with lockerrooms and a sauna. During the summer of 1997, a new 25-meter, six-lane outdoor swimming pool opened next to the arena which accommodates the swimming program.