One of college basketball’s smallest venues sits in KC. Will it get an upgrade?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UMKC's Swinney Center officially seats 1,500, ranking among Division I's smallest arenas.
- Coach Marvin Menzies leverages intimacy as tactic; staff recruits to program culture.
- Athletic leadership explores a new multiuse arena; stakeholders plan business model.
When you think about the most intimate college basketball arenas, traditional powerhouse programs are likely to come to mind.
The intensity of Allen Fieldhouse, just down the road. The deep history of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
You’re not wrong to think of them, but one of the most intimate college basketball experiences is located right here in Kansas City.
And, officially, it seats just 1,500 fans.
Swinney Center hosts Kansas City Roos basketball and volleyball games. It is believed to be among the 15 smallest Division I college hoops venues — out of more than 360 teams. That brings both pros and cons, people in the program will tell you.
One logical question you might ask: Wouldn’t you consider playing in such a small venue to be a disadvantage? Roos coach Marvin Menzies says otherwise.
“Bigger,” Menzies told The Star, “isn’t always better.”
What makes Swinney Center unique?
Menzies is certainly familiar with the “bigger” aspect of college basketball venues.
Across his extensive coaching career, he was an assistant at Louisville, which played in Freedom Hall (near-20,000 capacity) at the time. As head coach at UNLV, his team played at the Thomas & Mack Center, with a capacity of 17,923.
As he put it, Menzies is familiar with the “bells and whistles” — and benefits — of a larger arena, but he was also aware of the smaller gym on UMKC’s campus when he took over in 2022.
“I knew what we had before I took the job, obviously, and I thought it was pretty unique and just a cool environment,” Menzies said. “I was looking at some previous games that had been played when they had a bunch of students there. … It’s just a different gig. It stands on its own merit.”
Menzies has been able to use that uniqueness as an advantage, he says. He noted that a smaller, more intimate venue can catch teams off guard with fans’ proximity to the court.
And better yet, Menzies said he hasn’t seen it affect how he recruits. If a recruit understands and takes Swinney Center for what it is, that’s part of who Menzies wants in the program.
“We recruit to Swinney. We recruit to what we have because we just present who we are,” Menzies said. “Kids, eventually, and their parents, eventually, are like, ‘Who’s going to be with my child? How much are they going to learn? What life lessons are coming their way? And how can they facilitate the development of the player?’ We sell our strengths.
“It hasn’t hurt us as much as you may think,” Menzies added, “because when you think about it, it’s a superficial thing. It’s just a matter of the core of the person you’re recruiting, and if you’re in alignment, it doesn’t bother them at all.”
Even as a champion for Swinney Center, Menzies hasn’t shied away from what the future could look like.
There are benefits to that vision, too.
A new arena for the KC Roos?
Menzies told The Star that he’s had conversations with Kansas City athletic director Brandon Martin on the possibilities for a new arena.
“A significant investment in facilities would change the landscape of Kansas City basketball,” Menzies said. “It could potentially turn us into a basketball hub, considering we’re the only Division I basketball team in Kansas City. The potential is exponential, really.”
Martin agrees.
“We have the opportunity to do something that’s never been done here in Kansas City,” Martin told The Star. “It gives us an opportunity to engage our fans, our alumni, business community, our sponsors in a more meaningful and impactful way in this new landscape. …
“We want to leave an indelible mark in Kansas City as it pertains to basketball, and do something special.”
Martin’s vision for a new arena would have some similar aspects of what the Roos currently feature: The basketball teams share Swinney Center with Kansas City volleyball. It’s also the on-campus recreational center.
How could a new multi-use venue take things to the next level? Martin believes it could help bolster Menzies’ recruiting efforts — attracting not just the top local players, but aiming even higher nationally, too.
Arena discussions are ongoing — but exploratory
Martin shared that discussions for a new venue have been in place within KC Roos Athletics, but that the program is still in the “exploration” stage.
Put another way, when Martin was asked by The Star about bringing that plan to life, he replied ...
“It’s already living,” Martin said. “I wouldn’t put a timetable on it right now because we want to make sure that once we truly embark on this project, we’ve gotten essential feedback, that we have a proper business model, business plan to move forward and all groups have had a voice in the strategic direction we want to go.”
The groups include stakeholders, the Board of Curators, university faculty and the program’s partners and sponsors.
One specific partner for the Roos is Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing. That partnership has been in place for two years.
Martin said the support of local partners and businesses is essential.
“It’s all about Kansas City,” Martin said. “The more vendors, the more sponsors, the more companies that we can engage in our fan experience and the products that we put on the floor that we can engage in athletics and our campus, the better.
“We’re KC’s college team. We want the community to come out and support what we’re doing.”
Thus, that’s the vision for the future of KC Roos Athletics. And as they pursue it, Martin has a message he wants the city to hear.
“Kansas City is a sports town, and it’s not only a sports town, but accustomed to championships and winning,” Martin said. “We want to be in that conversation. We want to be in that company. In order for that to happen, we want the Kansas City community to invest in our student-athletes and allow us to have top-notch facilities.”
But for now, the Roos will make do with their 1,500 seats.
It’s something they’re proud of.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
