SPRINGDALE, Ark. — On Friday, Feb. 23, Springdale High School hosted a "Lights Out" basketball game as the last game hosted in the old gym.
"It's pretty small, especially when you talk about a high school that's got over 2000 kids, you know, it only holds about 1400," said Jared Cleveland, Superintendent for Springdale Public Schools.
A new P.E. facility and classroom building was in process for about 10 years and under construction for about two. The new gym now holds around 4,000 people.
"This is a showplace for us and Springdale High we see as a flagship school, and it needed a flagship arena," Cleveland said. "Our kids deserve great facilities. Our community deserves great facilities."
The new gym will host next years basketball season. Cleveland said the old gym will still be in use for sports like tennis, wrestling, track, cheer, dance, P.E., and golf.
Alumni and former coaches came out to see some games in the gym that was built in 1966.
Former teammates Treshawn Gause, who plays professional basketball in Switzerland, and Chris Owens, who's now a coach for Springdale basketball, felt the memories flood back.
"Winning the conference championship. That was our junior year," Gause said. "Beating Har-Ber, beating Fayetteville just dominating every game every year that we had."
"There's a lot of similarities like being back in the gym just the whole smell of the concession stands," Owens said. "For this to be 10 years later, and my team has a chance to make another one to get to Hot Springs."
"We still can talk about these memories and just getting together with these guys. It just seemed like it was just yesterday," Gause said.
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