Alabama A&M opens new events center

The public was able to see the new Alabama A&M Events Center for the first time Friday. 

Both basketball teams will be moving to the 6,000-seat venue after playing their last game at Elmore Gymnasium on Thursday. The venue will also be home for A&M's volleyball team, which played its final game in Elmore last week before traveling to Texas for the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday before the arena was opened for tours, and there was a lot of excitement in the crowd. 

"We are very, very happy that the community has embraced it," said Daniel Wims, president of the university. "We are looking forward to working with (the community) to make sure it is fully utilized."

Basketball and volleyball will be the two main sports played at the center, but there will also be future opportunities for other sports and events. 

"Lacrosse and tennis — we've actually been contacted by Disney to do some things, so there's a lot of things coming," said Paul A. Bryant, athletic director at the university. 

Alabama A&M also plans on being open to hosting a variety of events. 

"Concerts, gospel and R&B — whomever from wherever, come here and hold your event," said Wims. 

Now that they've got a new building, Bryant said they will vie for major sporting tournaments. 

"We're going to start bidding for more championships," said Bryant. "I want to bid for an NCAA Regional Championship here in Huntsville."

The Bulldogs will host their first event at the center Nov. 23, when the men's basketball team plays Louisiana Tech.