A campus setting brings victory, energy to UMKC basketball team
The idea of UMKC men’s basketball games returning to Swinney Recreation Center on campus is to fill every one of the 1,500 permanent seats and then have as many standing as the fire code allows.
Fans will wear blue and gold gear, maybe with Chiefs and Royals caps, fashion statements befitting the city’s lone Division I program.
Saturday was the first step.
Swinney wasn’t filled. But the 894 through the turnstiles looked better and sounded louder than similar-sized crowds UMKC was drawing at 9,700-seat Municipal Auditorium, the Kangaroos’ home for most of their 32-year history.
Plus, UMKC got the result Saturday, an 80-72 victory over Chicago State.
“It felt like a more packed-in vibe,” said sophomore guard Brandon McKissic, who led the Kangaroos with 21 points. “When you made baskets there was a little louder presence. I was really for moving back to Swinney. Muni was our home, but Swinney is where everything gets done.”
The rec center sits in the heart of the campus. It’s the building of practice courts and coaches offices.
UMKC has shuffled between the playing sites over the years. The historic downtown arena provided the home floor from the program’s Division I debut in 1986-87 until 2010.
Three years at Swinney and it was back to Municipal when the Kangaroos hired coach Kareem Richardson and moved from the Summit League to the Western Athletic Conference.
After playing five nonconference games this season at Municipal, the Kangaroos are back on campus for all WAC games.
Cost-cutting also played a role in the move. UMKC’s tab to play at city-owned Municipal approached $250,000 annually.
This is also another time of change. In 2018, UMKC brought in former Missouri athletic director MIke Alden to study the department and serve as a consultant. The school hired a new athletic director in Brandon Martin, although the decision to move to Swinney was made before he was hired.
And the Kangaroos have added some new touches in the form of signage and branding in Swinney. The Courtside Club provides pregame hospitality for season-ticket holders. Players greet fans following the game after a midcourt sway to the alma mater. There is also valet parking.
But nothing will gain attention like winning. UMKC improved to 6-10 overall in its conference opener. The team was picked to finish seventh in the nine-team league that is rated in the middle of the Division I pack.
Saturday, UMKC used a 16-0 first-half run to break away but couldn’t maintain a double-digit lead. Chicago State went ahead briefly early in the second half.
But McKissic remained steady and point guard Xavier Bishop, the team’s top scorer, got his first shot to drop in 12 attempts at a key moment. His three-pointer gave the Kangaroos a 64-57 lead.
UMKC had won its league opener for the first time in three years. It also was the first time in several years the game was played on campus.
“You could feel the energy in here, it was a more intimate environment,” Richardson said. “You could feel the runs and the good defensive stands.
“We’ll try to build on this for the rest of conference play.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2019 at 5:12 PM with the headline "A campus setting brings victory, energy to UMKC basketball team."