Reilly Center
One of the finest college arenas for spectator involvement and enthusiasm, the Reilly Center provides the Bonnies basketball teams with a tremendous home court advantage.
Since it opened in 1966, the Reilly Center has been the focal point for the renowned St. Bonaventure spirit. On game nights, the Reilly Center is the "place to be" not only on campus but throughout the entire region. Students are known to stand in line for hours prior to tipoff in order to gain the best courtside seats. Season ticket holders pass on their seats through generations. Bonnies fans are just as passionate as they are loyal, and they pack the Reilly Center to cheer their beloved Bonnies.
One national college men's basketball analyst agrees. Jay Bilas, in a 2001 ESPN.com feature, ranked the Reilly Center as one of his "Top 5 Hostile Homes" in the nation.
The arena and entire building has been improved dramatically over the past eight years. Chairback seats have replaced the bleachers on the floor level. A state-of-the-art scoreboard hangs from the rafters. In December of 1998, the St. Bonaventure Athletic Hall of Fame opened at the south end of the RC. This 4,200-square foot addition features theater-style seating, display areas for plaques, awards, trophies, uniforms and a pair of LeRoy Neiman original paintings. Such Bona notables as the 1970 Final Four trophy, the 1977 NIT Championship trophy and baseball Hall of Famer John McGraw's baseball jersey are on display in the latest crown jewel of Bona athletics. New banners commemorating Bonnies basketball achievements were hung on the Reilly Center walls, including a 2000 NCAA Tournament banner.
What has not changed is the fact that when the Bonnies tip off in front of a normally packed house, the atmosphere is most definitely loud and sometimes overwhelming for an unsuspecting visiting team.
St. Bonaventure opponents have learned that lesson over and over since the RC's opening 36 years ago on Dec. 2, 1966. That game against Quincy College would be win number one at the Reilly Center.
In 1997-98, the Bonnies tallied victory No. 300, and it came against rival Canisius.
Originally named the University Center, the building was dedicated to the memory of Carroll "Mike" Reilly '25 on June 1, 1974. Reilly was a Bona student-athlete, faculty member, football-basketball coach and athletic director. He is also a member of the St. Bonaventure Athletic Hall of Fame.
The RC has seen its share of great games and great players. The Bonnies men's team has hosted 24 teams that were nationally ranked at the time, including the No. 1 team twice. They have defeated nine of those Top 25 opponents.
Entering the 2005-06 season, St. Bonaventure has an overall record of 358-143 at the Reilly Center, a .723 winning percentage. The Bonnies have twice put together 23-game win streaks at home.
With capacity crowds of Bona fanatics, the Reilly Center gives St. Bonaventure teams one of the greatest home court advantages in the nation. The fan base consists of fiercely loyal students, local residents, alumni, faculty and staff. The Reilly Center is one of the few on-campus athletic facilities in the nation that can seat nearly twice the student population.
The Reilly Center has many purposes other than simply a basketball facility. It is the campus center, the social hub of the campus, a place where the Franciscan values of mutual respect and cooperation can be readily seen. Concerts, educational conferences, workshops and assorted performances are all held in the RC, as are the University commencement ceremonies.
Other facilities in the building include the bookstore, swimming pool, cafeteria, campus radio station, post office and offices for athletics and student life.
The Bonnies have played many memorable games at the Reilly Center over the years. Among them:
