The expectations for Saturday afternoon's game between Rochester College and Great Lakes Christian College are high.
"I expect it to be emotional, especially for the seniors. I expect it to be a packed gym," says senior point guard Paris Pereira.
"It is going to be rocking. It's going to be loud and enthusiastic and the adrenaline is going to be pumping in there," says Provost and Interim President at Rochester College Brian Stogner.
That's because it's the first game the Rochester College Warriors will play in their brand new arena. It's also senior night: the first and last game many team members will play in their new home.
"Having home court advantage is a big deal. and although Rochester High is our home gym…it never necessarily felt like home," explains Pereira.
Now he and his teammates have a real collegiate home instead of a borrowed high school gym. However with a 27-1 record this season, having no home base has clearly had some upside.
"We found a way to be good on the road, and I hope we still are good on there road now that we actually have a home court too," says head coach Klint Pleasant.
"We don’t have a home crowd to rely on so we have to be that much more focused and ready to play," explains senior guard Angelo Griffis.
Now -- after fundraising efforts and community donations -- the Warriors will have a home crowd and a home court to defend. The new arena is named after one of the only two men to lead the program in the last 45 years. It's named after Klint's father Garth Pleasant.
"It’s really humbling to be able to coach in a facility that has your dad’s name on it," says Pleasant.
The new space is great for the team, but Coach Pleasant and President Stogner say the impact will extend far beyond that.
"We believe that our students have had a really distinctive and outstanding experience but that this allows that experience to really be broadened," explains Stogner.
"You wanna go cheer someone on. You want have that college experience, and when you don’t have a home gym…where does that happen? Well now that happens," says Pleasant.
Saturday's game will be played at 3pm in the new Garth Pleasant Arena on the Rochester College campus in front of a sold out crowd.
