Additional Suites Being Added to Bud Walton Arena

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Twelve luxury suites are being added to the University of Arkansas’ Bud Walton Arena, and interested basketball fans have until May 31 to contact the Razorback Foundation about acquiring one for next season.

After the May 31 deadline, the suites, which will be completed for the 2007-08 season, will be assigned based on lifetime giving to the Razorback Foundation.

The arena currently houses 35 suites, but the addition of 12 more, six on the East concourse and six on the West, will run that total to 47.

The expansion includes eight 12-seat and four 18-seat boxes. All 12 include a private bathroom, a wet bar with a sink, counter tops, cabinets and an under-the-counter refrigerator. Each box also features glass doors with a full view of the court, a television and an internal feed from either the public address system or the radio broadcast.

Anyone interested should contact Harold Horton or Norm DeBriyn at the Razorback Foundation at 479-443-9000.

The Razorbacks have earned NCAA Tournament bids and won at least 20 games each of the last two seasons, and Arkansas has ranked among the nation’s top 15 attendance leaders every year since moving into Bud Walton Arena in 1994.

In 14 seasons, the Razorbacks have posted a 183-43 record in Bud Walton, winning 81 percent of their games. UA also has an all-time average attendance of 17,250.

Each of those numbers could improve next season. All five starters should return from last year’s club for first-year head coach John Pelphrey, including guard Patrick Beverley (13.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.1 assists), a freshman All-American and the Southeastern Conference’s Newcomer of the Year; center Steven Hill (6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.8 blocked shots), the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year and third all-time leading shot blocker in school history (244); guard Gary Ervin (9.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.8 assists), a two-time SEC Player of the Week who was fifth in the league in assists; forward Sonny Weems (11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who was named to the SEC and Old Spice Classic all-tournament teams; and forward Charles Thomas (10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), who was 15th in the SEC in rebounding and sixth in free-throw shooting (.775).