A new era of Saint Joseph's basketball began in the 2009-10 season as the Hawks celebrated the opening of Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena. The culmination of a 16-month renovation and expansion project, Hagan Arena provides new and updated amenities for fans and student-athletes alike while maintaining the distinct home court advantage the Hawks enjoyed at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
Hagan Arena was dedicated on October 17, 2009, and hosted its inaugural game on November 13 of that year as the men's team topped local rival Drexel, 77-67, in overtime. Eight days later, the women's team won its Hagan Arena debut as well, routing UMBC, 77-55.
The home of Hawk basketball now features air conditioning, chair-back seating, a new upper-level concourse with additional restrooms and concession stands, and additional entrances along 54th Street. The expansion project increased the capacity of the arena to 3,800 – a marked increase over the capacity of Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
Since it opened in 2009, Hagan Arena has seen its share of big games, including the women's team's upset of fifth-ranked Maryland on November 17, 2012. The men's team has brought its Big 5 home games to campus as well; the first installment of the vaunted rivalry between Saint Joseph's and Villanova to be played on Hawk Hill was a 74-58 SJU victory at Hagan Arena on December 17, 2011.
Hagan Arena hosted the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship in both 2012 and 2013. The facility has also played host to numerous university events, including presidential inaugurations and the annual spring concert, and in 2017, the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis announced a partnership with the University that will see the team play its home matches in Hagan Arena.
"This is one of the toughest environments in college basketball. Their fans are as loyal and passionate as anyone, so you know when you come in here, you aren't going anywhere else that is crazier." – Villanova men's basketball head coach Jay Wright
Michael J. Hagan and his wife, Joyce, were the lead benefactors of the expansion and renovation project, the most comprehensive enhancement of athletic facilities in the university's history. Hagan, a member of the varsity golf team and 1985 graduate of Saint Joseph's, was inducted into the Erivan K. Haub School of Business Hall of Fame in 2001 and served on the Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2008. The Saint Joseph's University Alumni Association bestowed its highest honor upon him, awarding him the Shield of Loyola in November 2012.
Members of the Hawk basketball programs enjoy a number of amenities aimed at supplementing their development both on and off the court. In addition to the renovated arena, the squads inhabit the Casciato Basketball Practice Facility as well as new locker rooms and players' lounges. The Hawks can also watch film in the video room or grab a snack from a new fueling station installed in the summer of 2016.
"This is as tough a place to play as we have ever played." – 2014 National Player of the Year and three-time All-American Doug McDermott
The Hawks called Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse home for nearly six decades prior to the opening of Hagan Arena. Dedicated on November 11, 1949, and named in honor of the Saint Joseph's graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during World War II, The Fieldhouse hosted its first basketball game 15 days later when the Hawks fell to Rhode Island.
Women's basketball debuted at the Fieldhouse in 1974 when the Hawks fell to perennial power Immaculata in the program's first-ever varsity game. The defeat kick-started an eight-game winning streak, however, and the Hawks would finish their first season with a 9-2 record. Saint Joseph's would not lose a home game to anyone other than the Mighty Macs for nearly four years.
The Fieldhouse was home to a plethora of legendary teams, players, and coaches, including the Hawks' 2003-04 squad that posted an undefeated regular season and the school's first-ever number-one ranking, Cliff Anderson, Dale Hodges, Susan Moran, Jameer Nelson, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Theresa Grentz, and Geno Auriemma, just to name a few.
The Hawks closed The Fieldhouse down in style, toppling eighth-ranked Xavier, 71-66, in the nationally-televised "Fieldhouse Finale." The Musketeers were the highest-ranked opponent the men's team had ever beaten in the history of the building.
The men's team spent the 2008-09 season at The Palestra, the legendary arena on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania and the longtime home of the Philadelphia Big 5 and some of the greatest moments in Hawk basketball history. The women's team played its home games that season at Philadelphia University's Gallagher Center.