With Mark Turgeon at the helm, KC Roos basketball returns to Municipal Auditorium
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- Kansas City Roos will return to Municipal Auditorium on a more permanent basis.
- Municipal Auditorium was the Roos' first Division I home in 1986-87.
- The Roos moved to Swinney in ‘10, returned to Municipal, then went back to Swinney in ‘19.
Seems like many sports teams want to play in the downtown area of the city in which they reside. The Kansas City Roos are going to do just that, as they are set to return to Municipal Auditorium on a more permanent basis.
The historic arena, opened in 1935, was the first home floor for the men’s basketball program when UMKC debuted in NCAA Division I in 1986-87. In 2010, the program transitioned to the much smaller but on-campus site that is Swinney Recreation Center.
After three years, it was back to Municipal Auditorium — until 2019, when the Roos returned to Swinney for all but a few games sprinkled in at Municipal.
This February, the Roos hired veteran head coach Mark Turgeon, who played at KU in the 1980s and later coached with success at Wichita State and Maryland, among other stops.
With Turgeon at the helm, the Roos have intentions of turning around the program — from one of the worst in D-I to one they hope will reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
School officials believe establishing the 10,700-seat Municipal Auditorium as UMKC’s home venue will be another step in the right direction.
In a partnership with the city, the men’s basketball team will play all of its home games at the downtown arena for the 2026-27 season. The women’s program will play at least two games downtown this coming season, as well.
The teams will play at Municipal with no payment to the city, Roos athletic director Dr. Brandon Martin told reporters Tuesday. The university will look to stay at the arena for the next few years as officials continue to develop and evaluate the partnership.
City officials and Roos brass stood on the front steps of the arena on Tuesday afternoon to announce the agreement. As they spoke, the sounds of jackhammers, drills and traffic provided symbolic background noise.
“All around us today in Kansas City, you see progress,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “You see $120 million to $130 million of improvements across the street to make sure folks can get down here and see some great basketball and some great performances.”
Turgeon has already used the arena as a selling point with recruits.
The Roos haven’t done much winning in Municipal, but the court has seen nearly a century of basketball. Municipal has played host to the NBA’s Kansas City Kings, several Big 12 women’s championships and 80 NCAA men’s basketball tournament games, including nine Final Fours — the most of any venue.
“A lot of the kids we ... felt like we’re in good shape with (to get them to commit),” Turgeon told The Star, “but then they walked in here and they saw this arena. They got pretty excited to think about playing in front of 10,000 people, hopefully someday, in a beautiful, historic arena.”
Turgeon tells recruits that NBA greats like Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson played on the original wood floor in Converse sneakers, a quip he admits may or may not be true. But the history of basketball in the arena has been able to resonate with his 13-player recruiting class, having to replace all of last year’s roster.
“Most college athletes are history buffs of what sport they’re in,” Turgeon said. “They might not remember a guy that played in the 1950s unless you mention Wilt Chamberlain, or certain guys that you can mention that might have played in this building. But they’re all history buffs, especially the parents. The parents remember a lot of those names.”
Municipal will receive more than $500,000 worth of renovations in order to prep for the Roos. Second-floor committee rooms that were mostly unused will become the coaches’ suite for office and meeting space, according to Kimiko Gilmore, the city’s executive director of convention and entertainment facilities.
KC Roos branding will also be posted around the building. The program is riding a wave of momentum since hiring the well-known Turgeon.
He has a six-person staff that includes his son and one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in the program’s history. The school is also renovating the program’s offices and locker rooms, with Turgeon and Martin raising money to help.
More than four years since his last head-coaching job, Turgeon, a Topeka native, is exhausted. But he said he’s enjoying being a coach again.
“It surprisingly feels really good,” he said. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it until i got back in at the recruiting part and around the guys. I’ve been on the (basketball court) once — I’ll get back on the floor in June. That’s where I love it the most.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 6:47 PM.
