KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The University of Missouri-Kansas City men’s basketball program will return to historic Municipal Auditorium next season.
A formal ceremony was held Tuesday celebrating the team’s return to the play they once played at starting in 1987 and finished playing at Municipal following the 2018-2019 season.
Renderings unveiled during the event gave a glimpse into what the experience will look like for fans who attend Roos men’s basketball games.
The venue change ushers in a new era of UMKC men’s basketball led by new head coach Mark Turgeon, who said Tuesday the reason he came back to coach college basketball was because of Kansas City.
“I believe in this city. I believe in the people in this city. And the people in this city love basketball. And, I know if I just give them a little bit, they’ll be here. And we’re going to give you more than a little bit,” Turgeon said.
The return to Municipal Auditorium is the latest effort to connect the UMKC campus to downtown Kansas City. Last year, the KC Streetcar completed an expansion of its connective route that reaches the UMKC campus, and the return of the Roos to Municipal will give them a reason to take a trip downtown next school year.
“Now with the streetcar coming to the Volker campus of the southern terminus, it’s easier than ever before to come from that campus to this spot,” UMKC Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal said.
