Buies Creek — When the final buzzer rang out Monday night, Feb. 25, in Carter Gymnasium at Campbell University, it marked the end of an athletic era and the beginning of a new future for the Fighting Camels.Both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams played their final games in the facility Monday to sellout crowds, ending the Camels’ 55 year run in the building. Next season, the basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams will all be playing in the John W. Pope Jr. Convention Center, which is still under construction.With its low-hanging rafters and a court four inches short of regulation, Carter Gym was an innovation on the campus when it was built in 1953. But with seating for only 947 spectators — the second smallest for a NCAA Division I school — Campbell has long outgrown its once state-of-the-art facility.Backed by the rowdy Camel Crazies, the home team has always had a definite advantage in the close quarters of Carter Gym. The men’s teams have won 65 percent of their games at Carter since gaining Division I status in 1977. The women’s teams have won more than 72 percent of the time.Coach Wanda Watkins has spent many years in Carter Gymnasium, first as a player and the last 27 years as a coach. She said she’ll have mixed feelings about the move.”Having played or coached in some capacity for the past 33 years in Carter, obviously our last game was a sentimental one for me. We have shared many wonderful memories as a women’s basketball family in Carter over the years that we will always cherish,” said Watkins. “With that said, we are extremely excited about our move across the street to what will be the magnificent, John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center next fall. It is a beautiful arena that will enhance our image, recruiting and be an asset to everyone at our University. Next year our players, fans and supporters can come and be proud of the facility we will be playing and competing in for many years to come!”The John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center will be completed by the fall of 2008. The 109,000 square foot facility will house the 3,100 seat Gilbert Craig Gore Arena, a Sports Hall of Fame lobby, hospitality suite, practice gymnasium, wrestling practice room and basketball-volleyball-wrestling offices and locker rooms. There will also be a 5,000 square foot student fitness center with a stand alone entrance for student convenience.
Lights dim for Campbell’s Carter Gym