Samuel M. Thomas Assembly Center

The Thomas Assembly Center has been home to the Louisiana Tech Bulldog and Lady Techster basketball teams since it opened in November of 1982.

It has also served as the home arena for the Lady Techster volleyball program since the program's inception in 1987.

The 8,000-seat Thomas Assembly Center received a new state-of-the-art Maplewood floor in the summer of 2007 thanks to the generous donation of Bulldog legend Karl Malone. Aptly named the Karl Malone Court, the hardwood is made of the same material that all NBA practice facilities boast.

During its 25-year history, the Thomas Assembly Center has proven to be one of the toughest arenas in the country for opposing collegiate basketball teams to play in on both the men's and women's sides.

The nationally-renowned Lady Techster basketball program has dominated their opposition for the past two-and-a-half decades in the Thomas Assembly Center, winning an amazing 92 percent of their games while posting a mark of 360-26 - a won-loss record unmatched by any other women's basketball program nationwide.

It has been home to 25 NCAA Tournament teams, the 1988 National Champion, 16 Kodak All-Americans and the winningest coach in the history of the game in Hall of Famer Leon Barmore.

During the course of the program's history in the TAC, the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters have put together some incredible winning streaks including:

• winning 161 straight games vs. unranked opponents (starting with a 79-66 win over Western Kentucky in 1991-92 and ending with a 71-65 overtime loss to Illinois in 2004-05)
  
  
• winning 114 straight regular season conference games (starting with a 79-66 win over Western Kentucky in 1991-92 and ending with a 68-47 loss to Boise State in 2006-07)
  
  

The Lady Techsters have also boasted some of the top attendance numbers in the nation during their times, including 15 crowds of more than 7,000 and eight crowds of more than 8,000. On numerous occasions the Lady Techsters have ranked among the nation's Top 40 in home attendance, including a program record 5,330 in 1982-83.

Both the Lady Techsters and Bulldogs played before a Thomas Assembly Center record 8,975 fans in a double header sweep of I-20 rival UL-Monroe (formerly Northeast Louisiana) on Jan. 22, 1985.

The Lady Techsters have posted 13 perfect seasons in the Thomas Assembly Center, and won a program record 19 home games in 1988-89. Tech is 36-0 all-time at the TAC in NCAA Tournament games.

However, the Lady Techsters aren't the only program to have dominated in the Assembly Center as the Bulldog basketball team has had its share of winning tradition at home.

Since 1982, numerous Bulldog basketball teams have seen success on the hardwood from Andy Russo's early-1980s Dunkin Dawgs featuring NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone all the way through the new millennium under current head coach Kerry Rupp.

Tech has posted a 231-68 mark in the Thomas Assembly Center for an impressive winning percentage of 77.2 with the 200th win coming during the 2004-05 season. Tech has recorded 24 winning seasons at home since 1982 with a program-high 14 wins in 1983-84 and 1984-85.

NBA greats such as Malone, P.J. Brown, Randy White and Paul Millsap have all called the Thomas Assembly Center home during their collegiate careers.

The Mailman led Louisiana Tech to a Top 10 national ranking in 1984-85 when the Bulldogs posted a 29-3 mark, including a perfect 14-0 at the Thomas Assembly Center, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

After losing their first ever home game at the Assembly Center, Tech reeled off 40 straight wins covering three seasons as Malone and Co. dominated the Southland Conference on its way to three straight league titles.

Malone, White and Brown all took their turn leading the Bulldogs to eight straight 20-plus win seasons (1983-1992) and national postseason appearances including five NCAA Tournaments and three WNIT appearances.

A decade later Bulldog fans were privileged enough to watch Paul Millsap win three straight NCAA rebounding titles, the first player in Division I history to accomplish this feat. Millsap also led Tech to the 2006 NIT.

The Bulldogs are 3-0 in national postseason games at the Thomas Assembly Center with NIT wins in 1985-86 (defeated McNeese 77-61) and in 2001-02 (defeated UL-Lafayette 83-63 and Vanderbilt 83-68).

The Lady Techster volleyball team has also called the Assembly Center home since 1987 as Tech has played nearly every season in the Thomas Assembly Center. The TAC has seen the Lady Techsters go on to seven separate winning seasons including a school best 29-10 season in 1992 under Scott Mayhew.

Now entering its third decade, the Techster volleyball program is playing at the Assembly Center against some of the best competition the NCAA has to offer including nationally ranked Hawaii and New Mexico State each year at home during the Western Athletic Conference season.

Lady Techster legends such as Katie Dow Kahmann, Jamie Shanks, Courtney Ziegenbien, Sharla Richardson and even more recently in Christinne Sant'anna and Shannon Phillips have all called the Thomas Assembly Center home for their college careers.






Thomas Assembly Center Facts and Figures

1. Location: on 7.81-acre site just West of Aillet Football Stadium
2. Style: Cylindrical with concrete finish and bronze glass accenting entrance level.
3. Cost: $17.5 million
4. Dimensions: 90 feet high and 300 feet in diameter, containing 181,850 square feet. 372 court-level seats, 1,910 lower level seats and 5,816 upper level seats.
5. Cooling: 970 tons of air conditioning
6. Type Floor: Maplewood surface named Karl Malone Court and installed in summer of 2007
7. Lighting: Mixture of quarts and mercury vapor with total foot candle rating of 138 foot candles
8. Scoreboard: Main scoreboard is four-sided located above center court with added electronic message board on top. Also, portable team scoreboards are located on each end of the court. Variable timer shot clocks are above each backboard as are red light indicators tied in with scoreboard horn.
9. Ticket Office: Main ticket office is located inside main entrance on concourse level (east side) and two exterior window ticket booths are also at main entrance.
10. Concessions: Four concession areas are located around the concourse level with full line of snack foods available.
11. Rest Rooms: Men and women rest rooms are located on the north and south ends of the concourse level.
12. First Aid and Security: Special room located just inside main entrance on the concourse level. Bed and variety of first aid equipment available.
13. Sound System: Can be converted in two different configurations, one being for athletic events using the center cluster located within the scoreboard and the second a stereo system used for various fine arts productions. An added feature is a Rogers Century Theatre Organ which can be used at various locations on the main arena level.
14. Main Parking: Estimated 3,000 hard surface parking spots available within the athletic complex (surrounding football and basketball facilities). Parking and entrance for the handicapped is located on west side (opposite main entrance).
15. Lower Level Features: Houses all athletic offices except football; also includes Hall of Fame Room and Joe D. Waggoner Room, both used for special events. Waggoner Room includes small dining room and complete catering kitchen facilities. Weight room and training room located on lower level and are available for use by all athletic teams housed within the Assembly Center.
16. Dressing Rooms: Seven dressing rooms are housed in the building and include Tech men and women basketball, track, volleyball, visiting team dressing rooms and two dressing rooms for game officials.

Thomas Assembly Center Media Facts

1. Press Accommodations: Seating for 25 at elevated area on west side of court. All radio broadcasts are handled from the elevated seats. Courtside seating available (as needed) for 50, also on west side.
2. TV and Film Accommodations: Various platforms located in upper levels on all sides of the court with power outlets.
3. Photographers: Media photographers will be allowed to shoot from either end of the court and from upper levels throughout the building. No strobe flash allowed courtside.
4. Press Room: A press room is located within the Athletic Media Relations Office on lower level (west side) which features eight telephones and individual desk space with high speed outlets for filing stories at halftime or after game. All game statistics will be available in press room.
5. Post Game Interviews: These are usually handled (depending on media size) in the office of the athletic media relations director following the games.
6. Media Parking and Entrance: No designated media parking is available at the arena although media are encouraged to park on the north side of the arena and enter through the ground floor.