Southeast Arkansas College’s athletic director and president are considering alternate locations for home basketball games during the college’s first year of competition.
Athletic director Chad Kline explained at Tuesday’s SEARK board meeting he had been in contact with University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff officials about moving home games to H.O. Clemmons Arena. The NJCAA has approved SEARK’s home gymnasium, the Relyance Bank Athletic Complex at 6808 S. Hazel St., for competition, but both Kline and recently hired President Tyrone Jackson expressed concern about the safety of the 84-foot-long court inside the former youth athletic facility. Standard college and professional basketball courts are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide.
“Right now the playing surface isn’t safe,” said Kline, hired as athletic director and men’s basketball head coach in February 2023. “Me and Dr. Jackson are concerned about player safety, obviously. It’s originally a high school-sized floor, so we would have to extend the goals 10 feet and get a brand new floor in. Right now, it’s not financially available.”
Nothing has been made official with UAPB about hosting games there, Kline added. A message seeking comment from UAPB athletic director Chris Robinson was left with a school spokesman.
“AD Robinson has been great about wanting to help us and do everything he can,” Kline said. “We’re just trying to get the financials of it settled. I think it will be a great opportunity. It would be a great recruiting opportunity for them. They would get to see 15 home junior college games of kids they can possibly recruit. We look forward to working with them. They’ve been nothing but great to us.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Another possible home location Kline named is the Pine Bluff Convention Center, but he added cost is a main concern with all options.
“We’re looking at other avenues, too, trying to get a Plan C,” he said.
Jackson, nearly a full month into his official hire as president, said while SEARK’s basketball teams could play on their own court during the regular season, they couldn’t if they made the postseason.
“The way the restrooms are configured, guests would have to go through the dressing rooms to get to the restrooms,” Jackson said.
“Overall the facility is nice, but there are some minor things that need to be (addressed),” he added. “The court is major, but there are things that need to be renovated and adjusted to make it conducive to playing and making it an environment where we want all people to come out and enjoy.”
To do that, SEARK will need additional funds, Jackson said, although he did not specify how much more.
SEARK recently received a final payment of $325,000 from the Trinity Foundation toward a $1.2 million purchase of the athletic complex, formerly known as the Seabrook Activity Center. The college in January 2023 announced the establishment of its athletic department, which began competition last spring in baseball and softball and will tip off play in men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s golf this school year.
The first basketball game for SEARK is scheduled for Nov. 1, Kline said, but he declined to reveal the opponent or location. A schedule is expected to be released during the fall semester, he said.
Classes at SEARK begin Aug. 19. The men’s basketball players will begin individual workouts about two weeks after that, with the first official practice scheduled for October.