La Salle unveils its renovated basketball complex with a dedication celebration of the Tom Gola Plaza

As La Salle men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy addressed a crowd of alumni at the dedication celebration for Tom Gola Plaza and Way on Wednesday afternoon, he remarked that Gola likely would have opposed being honored.

“There’s one person who wouldn’t be in favor of all of this today, and he’s the guy we’re honoring,” Dunphy said jokingly. “As much as this is Tom Gola Way, this is not his way of celebrating his life because that’s not how he lived.”

Gola, who was named National Player of the Year after leading the 1954 Explorers to the national championship, is now memorialized with a bronze statue sitting in the center of a plaza that bears his name. In addition, the road that leads up to TruMark Financial Center, which houses the newly renovated John Glaser Arena, will be renamed from La Salle Drive to Tom Gola Way.

The renaming and dedication tie into a broader renovation to TruMark and the upgrades to La Salle’s basketball facility. Those renovations are the first step in a multiyear plan for improvement of athletic facilities across the campus. Its next step will be the creation of locker rooms under McCarthy Stadium.

Athletic director Ashwin Puri and president Dr. Daniel Allen centered their remarks on athletics, specifically basketball, serving as the “front porch” of the university.

The renovations to what formerly was Tom Gola Arena reflect that. John Glaser Arena will have a new audio and visual system, renovated air-conditioning, a center court hanging LED video board and smaller LED boards in the corners, a new concession stand, and a section reserved for students behind the east baseline.

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After the ceremony, Puri said development projects within the athletic department will have a positive impact on the student experience, alumni relations, and the university’s retention.

“We want to create a fun, engaging environment for kids so they choose to come here, have a great time, and then they graduate with fond memories and ultimately want to give back,” Puri said. “That’s the goal. So we’re investing in the student experience, our retention efforts across the board, [John Glaser Arena] can help with all of that.”

But around the seventh minute of Dunphy’s remarks, a member of the La Salle community portraying the university’s mascot collapsed. Cheerleaders and The Explorer were standing next to the tent containing the podium behind the statue of Gola and had been on their feet for roughly an hour.

Allen, Puri, and Ellen E. Reilly, chair of the La Salle board of trustees, jumped up from their seats to help the individual. The ceremony paused with Dunphy at the podium while medical attention was given to the person portraying the mascot. Eventually, the individual made their way inside and was stable.

Allen, who was the first speaker of the afternoon, said afterward that the response to the event was indicative of the culture that exists at La Salle.

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“People matter more than anything else,” Allen said. “As important as [the dedication ceremony] is, what’s more important is the people. When you make a decision to be part of this community, you’re making a decision to be part of a community that’s going to care for you.”

There were closing remarks made inside the Hall of Athletes by City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who presented Allen with the citation from the city of Philadelphia to officially rename La Salle Way as Tom Gola Way, as well as changing the address of La Salle Athletics from 1702 W. Olney Ave. to 15 Tom Gola Way.

Donors were given a tour of John Glaser Arena, which still is waiting for its retractable sideline seating on both sides. The basketball program likely will be able utilize the space in early October.

La Salle’s men’s team will play the first game in the new arena on Nov. 4 against American University.