John Glaser Arena

John Glaser Arena
The Glaser
Address	1900 West Olney Avenue; Philadelphia; United States of America
Coordinates	40°02′24″N 75°09′24″W / 40.039993°N 75.15654°W
Parking	About 200 spaces
Operator	La Salle University
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Opened	October 26, 2024
Renovated	April, 2024 - October, 2024
Construction cost	$12,000,000+
Tenants
	La Salle Explorers men's and women's basketball

John Glaser Arena (also known as The Glaser) is a 3,000+ seat multi-purpose arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania situated inside TruMark Financial Center. It is home to the La Salle University Explorers men's and women's basketball teams. It is located at the former site of Tom Gola Arena.

The arena was named after John E. Glaser who donated the funds to renovate Tom Gola Arena into a new arena. The former arena was named after former Explorers captain and head coach Tom Gola, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

History

La Salle played at Tom Gola Arena from 1998-2024. In September 2023, La Salle revealed a plan to renovate Tom Gola Arena to create a 360-degree, bowl style arena. The renovation plans highlighted the need for an updated facility to meet the standards of a college basketball facility as well as a way to improve team performance.^[1] Tom Gola Arena did not have seats behind the baskets and research, conducted by John E. Glaser showed that opposing teams shot better against La Salle due to an absence of fans.^[2] Demolition of Tom Gola Arena started in March, 2024. Renovation into John Glaser Arena started in April, 2024, and lasted until October, 2024.

John Glaser Arena opened on October 24, 2024 with Hoops Fest, a celebration to kick off the basketball season. Hoops Fest featured a live performance by American rapper DD Osama.^[3] The John Glaser Arena hosted its first game on November 4th, 2024 with the men's basketball team defeating American 65-52.^[4]

Features

The arena features 1,700 permanent seats, VIP seats, and retractable seating close to the floor. Four entrance tunnels are located in each corner of the court. A brand-new lighting, sound, and scoreboard system was implemented as well as a new men's locker room. Renovations were made to the concession area, bathrooms, and media room.^[5]

Tom Gola Plaza

To continue to namesake and legacy of Explorer's legend Tom Gola, a plaza, outside of Trumark Financial Center, in his honor was dedicated on September 26, 2024. The plaza features an existing statue of Tom Gola as well as new lights and benches, a newly constructed brick surface featuring the names of doners, as well as a historical marker.^[4] ^[6]

Tom Gola Way

The driveway in front of TruMark Financial Center was renamed Tom Gola Way to continue the namesake of Tom Gola.^[7]

References

^ Staff, News (2023-10-11). "John Glaser Arena announcement". The La Salle Collegian. Retrieved 2024-10-24. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
^ "La Salle University Unveils Basketball Arena Renovation Project". La Salle University Athletics. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
^ ^a ^b MacAulay, Jessica; Staff, CBS News Philadelphia (2024-10-22). "CBS News Philadelphia gets a sneak peek at La Salle University's newly renovated John Glaser Arena - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
^ "John Glaser Arena, LaSalle University". SPS Technology. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
^ Lynch • •, Cherise (2024-09-26). "La Salle University unveils new plaza dedicated to basketball legend Tom Gola". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
^ MacAulay, Jessica; Staff, CBS News Philadelphia (2024-10-22). "CBS News Philadelphia gets a sneak peek at La Salle University's newly renovated John Glaser Arena - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

[1] Staff, News (2023-10-11). "John Glaser Arena announcement". The La Salle Collegian. Retrieved 2024-10-24. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)

[2] "La Salle University Unveils Basketball Arena Renovation Project". La Salle University Athletics. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

[3] "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-10-25.

[:0-4] MacAulay, Jessica; Staff, CBS News Philadelphia (2024-10-22). "CBS News Philadelphia gets a sneak peek at La Salle University's newly renovated John Glaser Arena - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

[5] "John Glaser Arena, LaSalle University". SPS Technology. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

[6] Lynch • •, Cherise (2024-09-26). "La Salle University unveils new plaza dedicated to basketball legend Tom Gola". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

[7] MacAulay, Jessica; Staff, CBS News Philadelphia (2024-10-22). "CBS News Philadelphia gets a sneak peek at La Salle University's newly renovated John Glaser Arena - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.

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v t e La Salle Explorers men's basketball
Venues	Wister Hall (19??–1955) Palestra (1955–1989) Civic Center (1989–1996) First Union Spectrum (1996–1998) Tom Gola Arena (1998–2024) John Glaser Arena (2024–present) TruMark Financial Center (facilities)
Culture & lore	"Fight On, Explorers" City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 (Robert V. Geasey Trophy) Gambling scandal Rape scandal
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e La Salle Explorers women's basketball
Venues	Palestra (1972–1989) Civic Center (1989–1996) First Union Spectrum (1996–1998) Tom Gola Arena (1998–2024) John Glaser Arena (2024–present) TruMark Financial Center (facilities)
Culture & lore	"Fight On, Explorers" City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 (Robert V. Geasey Trophy)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e Philadelphia Big 5
Schools	Drexel University La Salle University University of Pennsylvania Saint Joseph's University Temple University Villanova University
Teams	Drexel Dragons La Salle Explorers Penn Quakers Saint Joseph's Hawks Temple Owls Villanova Wildcats
Arenas	Daskalakis Athletic Center Hagan Arena Liacouras Center Palestra Finneran Pavilion Tom Gola Arena John Glaser Arena Wells Fargo Center
Competitions	Big 5 Classic
Related	City 6 Holy War Robert V. Geasey Trophy Battle of 33rd Street