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2 2017 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Sunday, November 5, 2017 T H E B U D T U R N S Razorbacks celebrate quarter of a century playing in arena F AYETTEVILLE — Bud Walton Arena is turning 25 this season. It doesn't seem that long ago to Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball coach Mike Ander- son when the building opened for the 1993-94 season that ended with a nation- al championship. "Is this 25 seasons coming up?" An- derson said. "Really? That is hard to be- lieve. "I think it's still one of the great ven- ues in the country. I'm biased, but I was there when it was built." Anderson was an assistant coach to Nolan Richardson during Walton Are- na's first nine seasons as the Razorbacks' home court and is going into his seventh season as Arkansas' head coach. "I love playing in Bud Walton," An- derson said. "It's still ahead of its time. Fans love coming to games there, it's fun to watch games there on TV, and we win there." The University of Arkansas, Fayette- ville is 332-77 in Walton Arena — an .811 winning percentage — including 95-15 the previous six seasons under Ander- son. "I think it's the toughest place for us to play in the SEC," said Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, whose No. 5 Aggies lost at Arkansas 74-71 in 2016. "I think just the energy that arena has, it's like no other I've ever been in." So Walton Arena is even tougher for a visiting team than Kentucky's Rupp Arena? "In my opinion, Bud Walton is the toughest place in our league," Kennedy repeated to a group of reporters at SEC media days. "The Arkansas fans are al- ways rabid and they love basketball. "Their home-court advantage has got to be as good as anywhere in the coun- try." Kennedy's Aggies are 0-4 in Walton Arena, including an 81-75 loss Feb. 24, 2015, when a banner ceremony for Rich- ardson was held. "We were there the night they hon- ored Nolan Richardson," Kennedy said. "That didn't help." TIME TO UPGRADE Richardson recalled that he and Ar- kansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles met with Bud Walton — who co-founded Wal-Mart with his older brother Sam — in 1991 shortly after the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference for the SEC. Broyles and Richardson agreed that moving to the SEC meant Arkansas needed an upgrade from Barnhill Arena and its capacity of 9,000 seats. "Coach Broyles called me and said we need to meet with Bud Walton," said Richardson, who coached the Razor- backs to a 389-169 record in 17 seasons. "Coach Broyles said, 'I think he's going to try and help us get a million dollars so we can take Barnhill and add about 1,000 or 2,000 seats and make it really nice.' "So we went up to Mr. Walton's office and after we exchanged pleasantries, he said, 'What can I do for you guys?' "That was my cue to ask if he could help raise a million dollars so we could renovate Barnhill now that we were go- ing into the SEC. "Mr. Walton said, 'I'm not too sure I want to do that Nolan, because your program is too good for you to still be playing in that building.' "He said, 'What would a new one cost us?'" Broyles said it would cost about $30 million for a new arena. "Mr. Walton said, 'Have you got a spot for it?' " Richardson said. "We said, 'Yeah, we can find a spot for it.' He said, 'Well, what's keeping you from building it? Let's get it done.'" BOB HOLT ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE See ARENA, Page 4 NW A De m o cra t-G a z e tt e p h o t o i ll ust r at i on / CHR I S S W INDLE