Hank McCamish Pavilion , nicknamed The Thrillerdome and originally known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum , is an indoor arena located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia . It is the home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball and Yellow Jackets women's basketball teams.
93-529: The venue previously hosted the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1968 to 1972 and again from 1997 to 1999. Tech's women's volleyball team occasionally uses the facility as well, primarily for NCAA tournament games and other matches that draw crowds that would overflow the O'Keefe Gymnasium . The 270-foot-diameter (82 m) Alexander Coliseum opened in 1956 at
186-453: A $ 15 million donation from the McCamish family. The facility's extensive renovation included reconstruction of the seating bowl, the addition of an upper level balcony and club seating, and the expansion of the concourse and plaza area. During the renovation, Georgia Tech's basketball teams played their 2011–2012 games at Philips Arena or Gas South Arena . The first game in the renovated arena
279-514: A 28–54 record. In 2003, Atlanta hosted the All-Star game, the last an Eastern Conference team would host for nine years. On March 31, 2004, the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC by Time Warner (who inherited the Hawks, Braves and Thrashers upon its merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996). During the off-season, the Hawks sent Jason Terry , Alan Henderson , and
372-550: A Western Division-best 49–23 record, helping him capture his second MVP award. The Hawks remained one of the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley , the team advanced to the Finals , but lost to the Celtics in another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens , the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in
465-526: A condition of their sale. Additionally, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed stated that the city might offer incentives for a prospective owner to keep the Hawks in Atlanta for another 30 years. On April 22, 2015, Atlanta Spirit reached a tentative agreement to sell the franchise to a group led by billionaire Tony Ressler (with Grant Hill , Steven Price , Rick Schnall , Sara Blakely , Jesse Itzler and Ressler's wife Jami Gertz holding minority stakes) for $ 850 million;
558-447: A double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, after tallying their first winning record, they again advanced to the Finals , where they avenged their defeat against the Celtics from the previous year, winning the series 4–2 and giving the Hawks their first and only NBA Championship. Bob Pettit scored 50 points in the final game of the series. The following season Bob Pettit led the Hawks to
651-581: A future 2nd-round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jeremy Tyler , who was waived 15 days later. The Hawks ended the 2012–13 season with a 44–38 record, making a playoff appearance for the sixth straight season. However, they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games in the first round. By the end of the off-season, every player involved in the Johnson and Williams trades just
744-470: A future first-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk . After the change in ownership, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004–05 season , the Hawks were the league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five fewer than even the expansion Charlotte Bobcats and the struggling New Orleans Hornets ). It was also the year Josh Smith won the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest. In
837-587: A local Atlanta company that built many Atlanta landmarks. It was designed and built without any support pillars to obstruct the view of any fans during games. It served as a replacement for the Third Street Gymnasium (later known as the Heisman Gym) on the campus of Georgia Tech, an 1,800-seat arena opened just 18 years before. The arena's original capacity was 6,996 seats, though crowds larger than that sometimes assembled for big games. Between 1956 and 1996,
930-517: A losing record, they managed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999 . In the playoffs the Hawks started to show improvement, pushing the eventual NBA Champions, Boston Celtics , to a Game 7 before losing in Boston. The Hawks won all three games at Philips Arena, which hosted its first playoff games and earned its first sellout. The 2008–09 season saw the Hawks win 47 games, their first winning season since 1999. With almost an intact lineup from
1023-456: A merger of the 12-year-old NBL and the three-year-old Basketball Association of America (BAA). They reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach . The following season, they drafted three-time All-American Bob Cousy , but they were unable to reach a deal and traded him to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to
SECTION 10
#17328527226511116-574: A new arena was being constructed, the team spent its first four seasons playing at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech , winning their first Division title in the 1969–70 season with a 48–34 (.585) record in the Western Division. Cousins' firm soon developed the Omni Coliseum , a 16,500-seat, state-of-the-art downtown Atlanta arena, for the Hawks and the expansion Atlanta Flames ice hockey franchise, which opened in 1972 as
1209-461: A new arena. The Omni was designed with weathering steel that was intended to rust into a seal around the arena so it could last for decades. However, the designers and architects did not reckon on Atlanta's humid subtropical climate. As a result, it never stopped rusting, and looked somewhat dated despite being 25 years old. When Turner won an NHL franchise, the Atlanta Thrashers , one condition
1302-606: A steal in a loss to the New Jersey Nets . After the game he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in a three-way trade with the Boston Celtics . In turn, Detroit sent guard Bob Sura , center Željko Rebrača , and a first-round draft pick to the Hawks. The Boston Celtics also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal, but Mills never had a chance to play in a Hawks uniform. The Hawks ended their 2003–04 season with
1395-551: A step back in the 2010–11 season, finishing with 44 wins, even though Horford and Johnson were named to the All-Star team. In mid-season the Hawks traded Mike Bibby to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hinrich , in hopes of bringing a defensive guard to replace the defensively liable Bibby. The Hawks finished the season losing their final six games. In the playoffs the Hawks beat the Magic in six games; however, they subsequently lost to
1488-523: A year earlier were either waived or not brought back. The 2013 free agency period also marked the end of the Josh Smith era for Atlanta as he signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons . Longtime Hawk Zaza Pachulia moved on as well and signed with the Milwaukee Bucks . With half the roster gone, 2012–13 proved to be a roster turnover year, paving a path to success for Mike Budenholzer. On May 28, 2013,
1581-454: The 1961 NBA Finals again and lost in five games. They would remain contenders for most of the 1960s, advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. Despite the success, Kerner became weary of the Hawks' longtime home, Kiel Auditorium . The 33-year-old arena seated only 10,000 and was starting to show its age. The Hawks occasionally played at the larger St. Louis Arena , mostly against popular opponents, but Kerner
1674-531: The 2012 NBA draft , the Hawks chose guard John Jenkins with the 23rd pick and power forward Mike Scott with the 43rd pick. On July 2, 2012, the Hawks traded leading scorer and All-Star Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets for Jordan Farmar , Anthony Morrow , DeShawn Stevenson , Jordan Williams and Johan Petro , as well as a 2013 first-round pick. That same day, the Hawks traded small forward Marvin Williams to
1767-578: The 2024 United States presidential election . Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta . The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference . The team plays its home games at State Farm Arena . The team's origins can be traced to the establishment of
1860-614: The Atlanta Hawks after they moved from St. Louis while The Omni was under construction, and again between 1997 and 1999, after the Omni was demolished and while Philips Arena was being built on its site. During the latter period, the Hawks played most of their home games at the Georgia Dome with the remainder at the Coliseum. The team again played at McCamish Pavilion during October 2017 for preseason games, when Philips Arena improvements forced
1953-594: The Boston Celtics when the Stags folded). The Blackhawks finished last in the Western Division and missed the playoffs. By then, it was obvious that the Tri-Cities area was too small to support an NBA team. After the season, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee , and became the Milwaukee Hawks . In 1954, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit , a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and in 1955
SECTION 20
#17328527226512046-839: The Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York , a member of the National Basketball League (NBL) owned by Ben Kerner and Leo Ferris . After 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois , where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks . In 1949, they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and briefly had Red Auerbach as coach. In 1951, Kerner moved
2139-658: The Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games. In August 2011, it was announced that California-based businessman Alex Meruelo was buying a majority stake of the Hawks, but in November he backed out of his intentions. In December 2011, the Hawks signed Tracy McGrady , Jerry Stackhouse , Jason Collins , Vladimir Radmanovic , Jannero Pargo , and Willie Green . They also picked up rookies Donald Sloan and 27-year-old Ivan Johnson . Sloan
2232-657: The Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and never played for the Hawks. Cable network entrepreneur and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the team in 1977 and hired Hubie Brown to become head coach. The Hawks were the only NBA team in the Deep South, just as the Atlanta Braves were the only Major League Baseball team in the region for many years to come. Turner's ownership
2325-418: The Georgia Dome used for larger-capacity games, until Philips Arena opened before the 1999–2000 season. The Hawks had two 50+ win seasons in 1996–97 (56–26) and 1997–98 (50–32), with center Dikembe Mutombo winning defensive player of the year awards back to back. The Hawks defeated the Detroit Pistons in five games in the first round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, but lost in five games in the second round to
2418-503: The SEC men's basketball tournament was set to play at the Georgia Dome on Thursday through Sunday. The tornado struck while the third of four quarterfinal games was in overtime. While that game was completed, SEC officials decided not to risk playing the fourth. Later that night, the conference decided to move the tournament, including the championship game, to the smaller Coliseum (damage to
2511-555: The Utah Jazz for point guard Devin Harris . On July 10, 2012, the Hawks signed guard Lou Williams. On January 21, 2013, following Lou Williams' season-ending injury in a game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Hawks signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract. On February 21, 2013, the Hawks traded Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones . That same day, the Hawks traded
2604-511: The playoffs in any format, until finally breaking through in 2015. However, the Hawks are one of only four NBA teams that have qualified to play in the NBA playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons in the 21st century. They achieved this feat between 2008 and 2017. In the 2024 NBA draft , the Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, their first since 1975 . The origins of
2697-607: The 1995–96 season with a 46–36 record, fourth in the Central Division. Midway through the season, they acquired Christian Laettner from the Minnesota Timberwolves ; Laettner would get an All-Star appearance in 1997. They upset the third-seeded Pacers in the first round in five games; however, lost in five games to the Orlando Magic in the semifinals. Around this time, it was decided that the Omni should be replaced by
2790-529: The 2014–15 season. However, the team could not advance past the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs, losing to the eventual Eastern Conference (and in some years, NBA) champions Boston and Detroit . The Hawks drafted Stacey Augmon with their ninth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft , who would make the All-Rookie First Team. However, Wilkins had a season-ending injury in the middle of
2883-686: The Atlanta Hawks can be traced back to the Buffalo Bisons franchise, which was founded in 1946. The Bisons were a member of the National Basketball League , and played their games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium . The club was organized by Leo Ferris and the Erie County American Legion and was coached by Nat Hickey . Their first game – a 50–39 victory over the Syracuse Nationals – was played on November 8, 1946. On
McCamish Pavilion - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-491: The Central Division with a 28–54 record; they would not return to the playoffs for eight years. Point guard Jason Terry became the team's scoring leader during the 2000–01 season, leading them with 19.7 ppg. After the All-Star break, the Hawks traded Mutombo to the Philadelphia 76ers for Theo Ratliff , Toni Kukoč , and Nazr Mohammed . However, Ratliff was injured and did not play with the Hawks until next season. They ended
3069-496: The Coliseum had undergone three major renovations. In 1986, 2,150 seats were added in what was previously an upper walkway around the rim of the arena. In 1989–1990, 750 seats were added in the end zone areas. The last major renovation was during 1995–1996, prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics. The floor was lowered 4 feet (1.2 m) to increase seating, 12 luxury suites were added, and many of the benches were replaced with chairback seats. Sightlines were also improved for those sitting in
3162-450: The Dome's roof was confirmed shortly thereafter). Due to the reduced capacity, only players' families, school officials, credentialed media and 400 fans from each school were allowed to attend the remaining games. On October 19, 2010, Georgia Tech announced that Alexander Memorial Coliseum would undergo a $ 45 million renovation and would be renamed McCamish Pavilion after Hank McCamish in honor of
3255-449: The Friday night quarterfinal between Mississippi State and Alabama, a tornado hit the Georgia Dome at 9:40 p.m. The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning at 9:26 p.m., because radar indicated a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. The storm tore open a panel on the north side of the dome; sheared bolts and insulation fell into the arena. After the storm passed,
3348-421: The Hawks announced that he would undergo surgery the next day and would miss the rest of the season. The Hawks finished 38–44, their first losing season since 2008. However, due to the weakness of the Eastern Conference, they finished as the 8th seed in the playoffs, and just like 2008, the Hawks would not go down easy, as they took the top-seeded Pacers to 7 games in before a 92–80 loss in game 7. On May 1, 2014,
3441-523: The Hawks finished four games under .500. However, the Western Division was extremely weak that year; no team in the division had a winning record. They won the division title and a bye to the division finals after defeating the Minneapolis Lakers and Fort Wayne Pistons in one-game tiebreakers. They then defeated the Lakers in the division finals to advance to the Finals , losing to the Boston Celtics in
3534-562: The Hawks fired head coach Hubie Brown en route to the team's 31–51 record. In 1982, the franchise acquired superstar Dominique Wilkins (a University of Georgia alumnus) and promoted Mike Fratello to head coach a year later. Due to sagging attendance, 12 home games during the 1984–85 season were played at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans , Louisiana . The New Orleans games were paid for by Barry Mendelson for $ 1.2 million with
3627-704: The Hawks going 6–6 in Louisiana. Wilkins won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1985 and 1990, engaging in an iconic rivalry with Michael Jordan . Spud Webb won the Slam Dunk Contest and Fratello won the Coach of the Year Award in 1986. From 1985 to 1989, the Hawks were among the league's elite, winning 50 games or more each season. They won a division title in 1986–87 going 57–25 which was a franchise record that would last until
3720-481: The Hawks hired San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer as the new head coach. The Hawks entered the 2013 NBA draft with four draft picks. They drafted point guards Dennis Schröder (17th pick) and Shane Larkin (18th pick). They also chose point guard Raulzinho Neto with the 47th pick and small forward James Ennis with the 50th pick. However, the Hawks traded Larkin to the Dallas Mavericks for
3813-596: The Hawks moved, this time to St. Louis , Missouri , Milwaukee's rival in the beer industry, and became the St. Louis Hawks . In 1956, Bob Pettit captured the league's first official Most Valuable Player award , and the St. Louis Hawks drafted legendary Bill Russell in the first round (second overall pick). They immediately traded Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley , both Hall of Fame members. In 1957,
McCamish Pavilion - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-416: The Hawks only landed the number two pick in the 2005 NBA draft lottery (the first pick went to the Milwaukee Bucks ). With the second pick, the Hawks selected Marvin Williams of North Carolina . In the 2006 draft , the Hawks selected former Duke star Shelden Williams with the fifth overall pick. Hope and redemption appeared to be on the horizon for the Hawks beginning in 2007. With the third pick of
3999-706: The Hawks to play there a third time. During the 1996 Summer Olympics , the arena hosted the Olympic boxing tournament . For most of its life, the Coliseum has hosted many rounds of the Georgia High School Association men's and women's state tournament games. The first integrated high school state tournament in Georgia history was played there before record overflow crowds in 1967. The arena received its nickname, "The Thrillerdome," from former Tech color radio announcer and former ESPN broadcaster Brad Nessler , for
4092-659: The Hawks unveiled a new secondary logo, which is a modernized version of the 1972–95 "Pac-Man" logo. On July 15, 2014, they acquired defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha from the Oklahoma City Thunder . On September 7, 2014, Bruce Levenson announced he would sell his share of the team, after self-reporting an inappropriate email he sent in 2012. Some in the African American sports community have defended Levenson, namely Jason Whitlock and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , commenting that Levenson's email had no racist intent, but
4185-403: The Hawks up for sale. One of the bidders was a New Orleans group led by future talk show host Morton Downey Jr. , but the deal collapsed and Kerner temporarily took his team off the market. Unable to resolve the arena situation, Kerner sold the Hawks to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders , who moved the team to Atlanta in 1968. While
4278-503: The Hawks won 57 games, tying a team record. They also won a fourth division title in Atlanta, and third in the Central Division. Coach Wilkens was named Coach of the Year for his work with the team. However, the team fell short again in the playoffs, losing to the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern semis in six games. The season was also marred by the trading of Dominique Wilkins, who remains
4371-412: The Hawks' most popular players during the 1990s, and Smith had recently been awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his charitable endeavors, as well as being selected in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game . By contrast, Rider had a history of behavioral problems both on and off the court. Rider's troubled conduct continued after his arrival in Atlanta. Rider missed the first day of training camp and
4464-572: The Hawks. On July 8, 2016, Horford signed a four-year, $ 113 million contract with the Boston Celtics . On July 12, 2016, Dwight Howard agreed to return home to Atlanta on a three-year, $ 70 million contract with the Hawks. The Hawks finished the season with a 43–39 record, good enough for the fifth seed. They lost in the first round to the Washington Wizards in six games. 2008 SEC men%27s basketball tournament The 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament took place on March 13–16, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia . The University of Georgia ,
4557-415: The NBA draft, they selected Al Horford . Horford nearly averaged a double-double during his rookie season, and was the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team as well as being runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors. The season started with a victory against the Dallas Mavericks 101–94, sending hope to Hawks fans. The last time they won a season opener was in 1998, also the last time they made
4650-510: The NBA's Southeast Division ; one week later, with a win over Miami as well as a Cleveland loss to Brooklyn, the Hawks clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs . The team finished a franchise-best 60–22. In the Eastern Conference first round, the Hawks defeated the Brooklyn Nets in six games. The Hawks then advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face the Washington Wizards, also defeating them in six games. It
4743-497: The NCAA tournament selection committee (which included SEC commissioner Michael Slive ) that it had to finish the tournament in order to preserve the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The championship game was originally slated to be televised by CBS but was bumped to ESPN2 after the SEC opted to move the tip time to 3:30 p.m. (EDT). The move to ESPN2 was because CBS televised
SECTION 50
#17328527226514836-418: The SEC tournament championship on the home court of its bitter rival , Georgia Tech . This was Georgia's first SEC men's basketball tournament championship since 1983 . The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by Raycom Sports , the successor to Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly Jefferson Pilot Sports), which folded into Raycom at the beginning of the year. The regular season preceding
4929-584: The WNBA schedule. Georgia State University held its Spring 2017 commencement ceremonies at McCamish Pavilion, due to the Georgia Dome's closure and scheduled demolition as well as other venues within Metro Atlanta being either unavailable, undersized, or too distant. On January 14, 2019, McCamish Pavilion served as the venue for the swearing in of Georgia's 83rd Governor, Brian Kemp , as well as other recently elected state officials. In recent years, McCamish has been
5022-566: The defending champs Chicago Bulls . Game 4, an 89–80 loss, would be the last game at The Omni. In 1997–98, forward Alan Henderson won Most Improved Player award. However, the Hawks would lose in four games in the first round of the playoffs to the Charlotte Hornets . The Hawks would end up with a 31-win campaign in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. In the first round they defeated the Pistons in five games again, but they could not advance past
5115-589: The draft rights of Mike Muscala and Lucas Nogueira (originally drafted by the Boston Celtics ), as well as guard Jared Cunningham . They also traded Ennis's draft rights to the Miami Heat and Neto's to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick. The Hawks brought back Kyle Korver with a four-year, $ 24 million deal and signed power forward Paul Millsap to a two-year, $ 19 million deal. On December 26, 2013, Horford tore his right pectoral muscle, and on December 30,
5208-399: The first NBA team to 50 wins in 2014–15, scoring a season high in routing the Sacramento Kings 130–105. The Hawks also set a franchise record by going 20-of-36 for three-pointers, breaking the mark of 19 set against the Dallas Mavericks on December 17, 1996. On March 20, 2015, the Hawks clinched their first division title in over two decades and became the first team not based in Florida to win
5301-423: The first few rows of the side of the court opposite the benches. Connected to the south end of the Coliseum are the Luck Building, and the Coliseum Annex. The facility was renamed Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonald's Center for 10 seasons from 1996 to 2005 in conjunction with a $ 5.5 million donation to help pay for the mid-1990s renovation, which increased seating capacity to 9,191. The Coliseum played host to
5394-421: The first phase of a massive sports, office, hotel, and retail complex, most of which is now the CNN Center . Also in 1972, the Hawks debuted a new logo and new colors, trading the green and blue color scheme that the team had used for two years, in favor of white, gold, and red, the same colors the Flames used. The hawk head silhouette inside a circle remained as the team's logo, albeit simplified. The years after
5487-428: The first time since 1998 that the Hawks sent two players to the All-Star Game. The playoffs, however, were a reprise from the previous year. They won a hard-fought seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks , but they were swept by the Orlando Magic in the second round, with every game a one-sided contest. After the season, the Hawks dismissed head coach Mike Woodson and was replaced by Larry Drew . The Hawks took
5580-499: The fourth game, between the University of Kentucky and University of Georgia . That quarterfinal was subsequently postponed until Saturday morning. That game and all subsequent games were played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech , a school in the Atlantic Coast Conference (and coincidentally a former SEC member). Due to the smaller capacity, only the players' families, credentialed media, school officials and 400 fans from each school were allowed to attend
5673-417: The franchise to Thomas Cousins and former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders . The Hawks currently own the second-longest drought (behind the Sacramento Kings ) of not winning an NBA championship at 64 seasons. The franchise's lone NBA championship, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, occurred when the team was based in St. Louis. Meanwhile, they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of
SECTION 60
#17328527226515766-428: The franchise's all-time leading scorer, to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning , who quickly left via free agency to the Phoenix Suns after the season ended. On March 6, 2015, Dominique Wilkins received a statue in front of Philips Arena. At the beginning of the 1994–95 season, the Hawks traded forward Kevin Willis to the Miami Heat for Steve Smith and Grant Long . During the season, coach Wilkens broke
5859-410: The game was based on the fact that officials at the game could not find where the water was coming through and because officials had no way to stop it. The game was delayed for about a half-hour, and then ultimately postponed until March 3, 2008. On March 14, 2008 , a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta , causing damage to the CNN Center , Philips Arena , and Georgia Dome . During the weekend,
5952-438: The games were moved to a significantly smaller arena, only players' families & friends, bands, cheerleaders, and persons with working credentials were admitted. The SEC looked at several possible scenarios; one specifically mentioned by media involved playing only the Kentucky-Georgia game on Saturday, playing both semifinals on Sunday, and declaring the semifinal winners co-champions. However, tournament officials were told by
6045-406: The home of many upset wins for the Tech men's basketball team. Since the 2012 renovation, 12 ranked teams have lost at McCamish, five of those being in the top ten. On June 27, 2024, the arena acted as the "spin room" for the first Presidential Debate in 2024. On October 28, 2024, it served as the venue for a Republican political rally led by former president Donald Trump in the final days of
6138-403: The improbable winner of the tournament, earned the Southeastern Conference 's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA tournament . The tournament was originally scheduled to be played at the Georgia Dome , but a tornado struck downtown Atlanta on the night of March 14, while the third of four quarterfinal games was in overtime. While that game was completed, SEC officials decided not to risk playing
6231-431: The intersection of 10th Street and Fowler on the northeast end of the Georgia Tech campus. The building was named for William A. Alexander , Georgia Tech's football coach from 1920 to 1944 and the third athletic director (after John W. Heisman ); his tenure as coach included the 1928 Rose Bowl team (the 1928 season, the Rose Bowl itself was played on January 1, 1929). The huge dome was constructed by Calvert Iron Works, Co.,
6324-431: The many close games it witnessed during the 1983–84 season. In 2003, the playing surface was renamed "Cremins Court" in honor of Bobby Cremins , Georgia Tech's head coach from 1979 to 2000. On February 21, 2008, the men's basketball game between Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia was cancelled due to a leak in the roof that was caused by hard rainfall that had accumulated over the day. The decision to cancel
6417-446: The move showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson . However, after this period of success, the team experienced some years of rebuilding. Despite appearing to be moving in the right direction when they ended up with the first and third picks overall in the 1975 NBA draft , the players drafted with those two picks, David Thompson of North Carolina State and Marvin Webster of Morgan State, both signed with
6510-492: The playoffs. For the 2007–08 season, the Atlanta Hawks updated the logos and uniforms that saw navy blue become the primary color, with red relegated to trim color status. This marked the first time in team history that they had used navy blue as one of their colors. A mid-season trade for point guard Mike Bibby boosted the Hawks' playoff hopes. At the time of the trade the Hawks were 22–28; afterwards, they won 15 of their last 32 games to finish 37–45. Although they finished with
6603-533: The previous year, the Hawks manage to take a step forward in their development. Again they were pushed to a Game 7 in the first round but capitalized on home-court advantage earning their first playoff series win since 1999 against the Miami Heat . The Hawks were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–0 in the Conference Semifinals. The 2009–10 season saw the Hawks improve further, winning 53 games, their first 50-win season since 1997–98. Al Horford earned his first All-Star selection, and along with Joe Johnson, this marked
6696-406: The record (previously held by coach Red Auerbach ) for most victories by an NBA head coach with victory number 939. They ended up fifth in the Central Division with a 42–40 record, they would be swept by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. During the off-season, shot-blocking All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo signed a 5-year, $ 55 million deal with the Hawks. The Hawks finished
6789-485: The rest of the tournament. Georgia, which had a sub-.500 record (13–16, 4–12 in the SEC) going into the tournament and had to win the title to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, was forced to play and win three games in the space of 30 hours, including two games on Saturday — the original quarterfinal game against Kentucky that was postponed by the tornado and venue change, and the subsequent semifinal game. Coincidentally, Georgia won
6882-456: The sale was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on June 24, 2015. On January 31, 2015, the Hawks became the first NBA team to go 17–0 in a calendar month by beating Portland. The 2015 All-Star Game consisted of four Hawks All-Stars including Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Al Horford. On March 9, 2015, Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll each scored 20 points to help the Hawks become
6975-486: The season with a 25–57 record. In 2001, the Hawks drafted Spanish star Pau Gasol third, but his rights were ceded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade involving Shareef Abdur-Rahim . Abdur-Rahim became the team's scoring leader, and made his only All-Star appearance in 2002. The team ended up 33–49 for the 2001–02 season. The Hawks sent Kukoc to the Milwaukee Bucks for All-Star Glenn Robinson in 2002, Robinson lead
7068-406: The season, and without him, the Hawks were unable to make it to the playoffs. In 1992, the Hawks acquired guard Mookie Blaylock from the New Jersey Nets ; he would spend seven years of his career as a Hawk, leading them in career steals and three-point field goals while earning an All-Star appearance in 1994. After seasons of mediocrity, Lenny Wilkens was hired as head coach in 1993. In 1993–94 ,
7161-411: The second round of the playoffs, as they were swept by the eighth-seeded New York Knicks . In the 1999–2000 season , their first season at Philips Arena, the Hawks traded Steve Smith to Portland for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson , and sent Mookie Blaylock and a first-round draft pick to the Golden State Warriors for Bimbo Coles and a first-round draft pick. Smith and Blaylock had been two of
7254-469: The summer of 2005, the Hawks completed a sign and trade deal with the Phoenix Suns to acquire Joe Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and two future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks . These changes occurred after an apparent power struggle between the owners for nearly three weeks before the moves were made. Despite their league-worst record the previous season,
7347-539: The team to Milwaukee , where they changed their name to the Milwaukee Hawks . Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis , where they won their first (and thus far only) NBA Championship in 1958 and qualified to play in the NBA Finals in 1957, 1960 and 1961. The Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals. The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta on May 3, 1968, when Kerner sold
7440-468: The team was William "Pop" Gates , who, along with William "Dolly" King , was one of the first two African-American players in the NBL. The team, which needed to draw 3,600 fans per game to break even, struggled to draw 1,000 fans per game to the Auditorium. The franchise lasted only 38 days (13 games) in Buffalo when, on December 25, 1946, Leo Ferris , the team's general manager and co-owner, announced that
7533-463: The team with 20.8 ppg. But the Hawks still failed to make the playoffs for the 2002–03 season, finishing with a 35–47 record. In February 2004, the Hawks had the distinction of having NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace play one game for the team. Wallace was traded from Portland to the Hawks along with Wesley Person for Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff, and Dan Dickau . In his lone game for the Hawks, Wallace scored 20 points, had 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and
7626-528: The team would be moving to Moline, Illinois , which at that time was part of an area then known as the " Tri-Cities ": Moline, Illinois , Rock Island, Illinois , and Davenport, Iowa . Upon relocation to Moline, the team was renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and played their home games at Wharton Field House , a 6,000-seat arena in Moline. The team featured guard / forward and coach Deanglo King, and
7719-498: The teams returned to the court at 10:30 and completed the game. The Kentucky–Georgia basketball game, originally scheduled for Friday night, was postponed. It was rescheduled for Saturday at noon. Due to the severe damage suffered at the Georgia Dome, the remainder of the tournament was moved to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum . The semifinals began at 6:00pm Saturday in Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Because
7812-534: The tournament marks the 22nd season of the regionally syndicated package. The SEC Championship Game was produced by CBS , but it was televised by ESPN2 . * Denotes game ended in overtime. † Game originally scheduled for 9:45 p.m. the day before. Postponed due to tornado . ‡ - Game was originally to have been telecast on CBS . Sundiata Gaines , Georgia (Most Valuable Player) Terrance Woodbury , Georgia Charles Thomas , Arkansas Darian Townes , Arkansas Mykal Riley , Alabama During overtime of
7905-403: Was instrumental in keeping both teams in the region. Coach Brown won coach of the year in 1978. In the 1979–80 season, the Hawks finished with a 50–32 record and won the Central Division. It was their first division title in the Central Division and second in the city of Atlanta. The next season, the Hawks got off to a 4–0 start, then lost 13 of the next 14 games and with 3 games left in the season,
7998-440: Was late for two games. After reports that he smoked marijuana in an Orlando hotel room during a January road trip, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling, and fined him a total of $ 200,000 until he agreed to go. When he showed up late for a March game, the Hawks released him. The Smith/Rider trade sent the Hawks into a downward spiral. After only missing the playoffs four times since 1977, they fell to seventh place in
8091-479: Was motivated by valid business concerns. On January 2, 2015, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the remaining minority owners of Atlanta Hawks, LLC would join Levenson, effectively putting the entire franchise for sale. The sale of the team as well as the operating rights to Philips Arena was handled by Goldman Sachs and Inner Circle Sports LLC. The NBA has stated that the Hawks would remain in Atlanta as
8184-507: Was not willing to move the team there full-time because it had not been well-maintained since the 1940s. Even though it was being heavily renovated to accommodate the arrival of the National Hockey League 's (NHL) St. Louis Blues in 1967, Kerner was still not willing to move to the St. Louis Arena. He wanted a new arena to increase revenue. However, Kerner was rebuffed by the city on several occasions. In early 1967, Kerner briefly put
8277-659: Was on November 9, 2012, when the Yellow Jacket men's basketball team defeated Tulane in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,600 people. The playing surface retained the title "Cremins Court" from its predecessor. On August 22, 2016, the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that they would play the entirety of their 2017 and 2018 home schedules as well as any 2016 home playoff games at McCamish Pavilion due to renovations at Philips Arena conflicting with
8370-514: Was owned by Leo Ferris and Ben Kerner . Pop Gates remained on the Blackhawks roster, and finished second on the team in scoring behind future 1949 NBL MVP Don Otten . A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Gates helped to integrate the league and later became the first African-American coach in a major sports league, coaching Dayton in 1948. In 1949, the Blackhawks became one of the National Basketball Association 's 17 original teams after
8463-399: Was that a new arena had to be in place before the new team took the ice for the first time, as The Omni was unusable even for temporary use. Eventually, it was decided that The Omni would be demolished and a new arena for the Hawks and the expansion NHL Thrashers would be built on the same area. Following the 1997 playoffs, the Hawks moved back to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with
8556-531: Was the first time they had advanced past the second round since 1967, their second-last year in St. Louis. The Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, when they lost in four games to the Cleveland Cavaliers . On June 22, 2016, the Hawks traded Jeff Teague to Indiana in a three-team deal, that would give Utah's 12th pick in the 2016 NBA draft to
8649-528: Was waived a month later. The Hawks finished the 2011–12 season with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference with 40 wins, clinching the playoffs for the fifth straight season. However, the Hawks would be eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics in six games, ending the Hawks' three-year streak of advancing to the second round. On June 25, 2012, the Hawks hired San Antonio Spurs Vice President of Basketball Operations Danny Ferry as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. During
#650349