Thanks to a $10 million gift from 1964 University of Maine graduates Phillip and Susan Morse, the school is moving forward on building Morse Arena, a new 2,660-seat basketball venue on the Orono, Maine, campus.
Detailed plans for the arena were unveiled Oct. 22, 2025, by officials with the UMaine Athletics program.
The project is part of a $320 million investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation, including a $170 million investment to fund the university's Athletics Facilities Master Plan as part of 'UMS TRANSFORMS'.
Located near the south end of Alfond Stadium and Morse Field, the facility will extend from just behind the south end zone of the football stadium through the North Gym parking lot to the edge of Long Road.
Construction is set to begin after the 2025 fall semester and the new arena is expected to be completed and in use during the 2027-28 basketball season, according to a news release from UMaine Athletics.
The facility will serve as the new home court for both the men's and women's basketball teams, but also will host youth and community events, reinforcing UMaine's role as a statewide hub for sports and engagement.
"Morse Arena reflects the power of partnership and investment in our students," said university President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. "This facility will not only strengthen our athletic programs but also serve as a source of pride and [a] great gathering venue for the university and the state of Maine."
As the new home of Maine's only NCAA Division-I program, Morse Arena should help attract top student-athletes and position the Black Bears to compete for America East Conference titles and NCAA tournament berths.
"We are excited to provide our programs with the high-caliber basketball facility that this state deserves," said Jude Killy, UMaine's director of athletics. "We believe that we are putting all the pieces in place to make sustained runs at postseason play in college basketball, and Morse Arena is right at the center of that. We are incredibly grateful to the Harold Alfond Foundation and Phil and the late Sue Morse for helping to make this vision a reality."
New Arena Big Boost to Black Bear Athletics
The new basketball venue will offer UMaine fans an intimate game-day experience with chairback, bleacher and courtside seating, the school noted.
In addition, a 4,000-sq.-ft. club area for hosting events, groups and premium seat holders will be created to further enhance the fan experience and support student-athletes during competition. That area also will include gameday viewing options for football and basketball games as well as a dedicated kitchen space, food service area and bar service.
With a capacity of 300 guests, the club area also will have the capability of serving as a flexible space for community events, meetings and celebrations.
UMaine Athletics officials listed a number of other features that have been designed for the new Morse Arena, including:
• New locker rooms and lounges with modern lighting and the latest technology for the men's and women's basketball squads, which holds the promise of creating one of the premier home team spaces in the Northeast.
• A new film room and dedicated dining and nutrition areas for each of the school's basketball programs.
• New offices for the men's and women's head coaches, assistant coaches and support staff that will further UMaine's mission to become one of the top five Division-I athletic programs in New England.
• New visiting team locker rooms that will provide updated space for opposing teams as well as high school and youth programs that will use the spaces for special events and tournament competitions.
• Sports performance spaces, such as a student-athlete support area for sports medicine featuring hot and cold recovery plunge pools as well as a dedicated area for rehabilitation. It will feature more than 6,000 sq. ft. dedicated to speed, strength and agility. Plans call for it to serve not only basketball, but also football and other varsity programs.
Combined with existing facilities at the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center and Latti Fitness Center, UMaine Athletics will one day offer more than 12,000 sq. ft. of training space for more than 450 student-athletes.
In addition, Morse Arena will house the university's new football operations center, which will include football staff offices on the building's concourse level with direct stair access to Morse Field. Along with the individual office space, the Black Bear football program's space within the arena will have access to a pair of large conference rooms to accommodate staff meetings and film breakdown.
Upon their entry to the arena, fans and visitors will be greeted by a spacious lobby featuring Black Bear branding and displays of UMaine Athletics' history, in addition to significant individual and team accomplishments. The lobby also will feature a new box office and administrative offices.
WBRC Inc. of Bangor, Maine and Kansas City, Mo.-based Crawford Architects are the architects for the new Morse Arena. UMaine Athletics noted that the project's construction management will be executed by Consigli Construction in Portland.
