Fans to Get First Look at YSU Basketball Venue after $4M Facelift

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University basketball led the Horizon League in Name, Image and Likeness fundraising, but it was at the rear of the pack when it came to its arena.

Until now.

Thanks to an unprecedented number of major gifts, including $1 million from Tom and Jill Zidian and $500,000 from the Moran family and its Window World company, YSU’s home for hoops is now among the best in its conference. The Zidian gift is the largest in the history of the basketball program.

During the offseason, Beeghly Center – which has been renamed Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center – got a complete facelift worth over $4 million.

All of the seats have been replaced; the locker room is being expanded and updated; and premium courtside seats have been added. For the 2025 season, a club suite for ardent fans will be added at the north entrance lobby.

The arena also was painted and spruced up with new signage. About the only thing that hasn’t changed is its old-school atmosphere – which makes it intimidating for opposing teams.

The project could not have been done without the lead gift from the Zidians, said Rocco Nolfi, chief of staff for the men’s hoop team. Nolfi also owns an Allstate Insurance agency in Boardman.

To honor the donor, the venue has been renamed Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Signage with the new name has already been installed at the north entrance and will soon be added to the south entrance.

The Moran family-Window World name has been attached to the south entrance lobby and concession area, with new signage in place.

Tom Zidian said his gift was spurred by a desire to help the area that has supported his businesses for many years.

“I’ve done well in the Valley,” he said. “I wanted to give back to it and the university, and its sports are a great way to do it.”

Zidian extended praise to the other donors. “It wasn’t just me,” he said. “They came through to make it happen.”

Zidian has always had a love for basketball and the competitiveness of sports in general. “They teach life lessons,” he said.

His renewed love for YSU hoops started a few years ago when he took his teenage son to a YSU practice at Beeghly.

“I was really amazed at the discipline of the student-athletes,” he said. “They all came by after practice and said hello and introduced themselves, because that’s the kind of respect that the coaching staff has taught them.”

Zidian started going to the games again and quickly realized that the facility was outdated. “It hadn’t been touched much over the years, and I wanted to contribute,” he said.

The Penguins’ home opener will be Monday, Nov. 4, when the team takes on Westminster College at 7:35 p.m.

“The fans will be very excited when they see [the improvements to the arena],” Zidian said. “It’s a state-of-the-art facility.”

Fan support for the Penguins reached a fever pitch toward the end of last season, he said. “I was at a game where it was so great that if you closed your eyes you would have thought you were at a Big 10 game,” Zidian said.

Earlier this year, Zidian sold his Summer Garden Food Manufacturing Co. in Boardman to a Canadian company. Summer Garden is a subsidiary of The Zidian Group, the family-owned manufacturer, marketer and distributor of premium barbecue and pasta sauces, as well as dipping sauces, marinades, dressings and other shelf-stable products.

New Popularity

The improvements to YSU’s basketball arena come as the Penguins are riding a resurgence in popularity that corresponds to the team’s improved play.

“Basketball has become the new attraction [at YSU],” Nolfi said. “We went from an average crowd of 500 to 6,500.”

The Penguins have played to capacity crowds the past couple years during their playoff runs. To sustain those crowds, improvements were necessary, Nolfi said.

The overarching goal was to enhance the fan experience. “Not only are we putting a winning product on the court, but [the improvements make] for a more enjoyable experience for those who come watch us,” he said.

He pointed out that the new seats are larger (21 inches wide) and more comfortable than the previous seats and have more leg room. “The seats are the most obvious upgrade, the one the fans will notice the most,” he said.

Even the upper deck seats have chairbacks, he pointed out. The old bleachers they replaced were installed when Beeghly was built in 1972.

The new seating means more revenue from the program, and it’s already paying off.

“All of the seats in the lower bowl are sold out,” Nolfi said, as are the courtside seats. “The courtside seats alone will generate over $100,000 per year,” he pointed out.

The team has also sold “a couple thousand” season ticket packages – its highest amount ever, according to Nolfi.

Thanks to the sharp rise in attendance, the basketball program could soon surpass the break-even point.

“The YSU program isn’t profitable yet,” Nolfi said. “Most college basketball programs aren’t. But we are getting close.”

An equally key part of the renovation – albeit one that will never be seen by the public – is the improved locker room. It will go a long way toward building a better team, according to Nolfi.

“It’s very important in recruiting,” he said, explaining that the quality of a locker room is a way for potential players to grasp the importance that the university places on the team.

“It’s huge for them, the first time they see it,” Nolfi said. “It’s like their home away from home for six months.”

In addition to the gifts from the Zidians and the Moran family, the arena improvement project received several other key donations, including:

• Compco Industries, $250,000.
• The Kerola family, $250,000.
• The Hendricks family, $250,000.
• Eric Spiegel, $250,000.
• Andrews Trust, $250,000.
• JP Daliman, $100,000.

Pictured at top: A sign identifies the new name of the YSU venue.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.