With a decline in the amount of top basketball recruits choosing DePaul University, the school reportedly has a plan to lift up its program.
The university is considering building its own basketball arena near its Lincoln Park campus, according to CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan. The school will hold a meeting in May with the university's Board of Trustees to get approval for the project.
The Allstate Arena in Rosemont has been the Blue Demons' home since 1980. The contract between DePaul and Allstate Arena is set to expire after the 2015 season, and with an approaching deadline, the pressure is on to find a new location.
Two sites are suspected to be potential new homes for the Blue Demons, according to CSN Chicago: the Finkl Steel property, which is walking distance from the Lincoln Park campus, and the former Morton Salt Company building on Elston Avenue.
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Plans for the proposed new arena are rumored to include seating for between 10,000 and 12,000 fans. It's expected to help DePaul return to the top of the basketball recruitment list, where it sat in the mid-1990s.
DePaul hopes for completion of the project – if approved – by 2018.
