MOA Arena ready for hoops

The brand-new Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena will open its doors to basketball next month. If the NCAA decides to hold its season opener at the P3.6 Billion facility on June 23, then the collegiate league will gain the historic distinction of being the first to stage a game on the Robbins maplewood court with NBA-standard Spalding goals, an eight-sided center-hung LED Daktronics scoreboard and two-sided shot clocks.

The NCAA will make a decision any day now on whether to hold the inaugurals at the MOA Arena or the Smart Araneta Coliseum which is reportedly the preferred choice of the TV coveror for practical logistical reasons.

If the NCAA decides on the Big Dome, then the first basketball game to be played at the MOA Arena will pit the PBA selection coached by Tim Cone against Yao Ming’s visiting Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese pro league on June 28. Another game involving the Sharks is being arranged against coach Chot Reyes’ Smart Gilas on June 30, also at the MOA Arena. For sure, the UAAP will launch its new season at the MOA Arena on July 14 with National University (NU) as host. 

SM Prime Holdings president and NU chairman Hans Sy said he estimates about 50 percent of the UAAP and NCAA games will be played at the MOA Arena. He noted that from June 1 until the end of the year, only 13 days are left unbooked in the MOA Arena’s calendar. August, for instance, has been reserved for Cirque du Soleil.

“We’re ready for basketball,” said Sy who masterminded the two-year construction of the five-level building. “It takes only three hours to lay out the hardcourt. We’ve incorporated certain things I observed in the Orlando stadium during the last NBA All-Star Game and I think our arena is truly state-of-the-art. Lady Gaga’s director told me that of all the Asian stadiums they’ve performed in, we’re second-best behind only Japan which has a capacity of 30,000.”

The Daktronics 46-ton octagon scoreboard was installed three weeks ago and during the two recent Lady Gaga concerts, was clamped close to the ceiling. It will be lowered for eye-level view during basketball games. American technicians from Daktronics of South Dakota arrived to supervise the hoisting of the scoreboard, employing a 120-ton crane and 24 men.

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“Daktronics powers about 90 percent of NBA arenas,” said Wopsy Zamora, owner of Amigo Entertainment Technologies which is the MOA Arena’s light and sound contractor. “Our center-hung scoreboard was made in the US particularly for the MOA Arena. It has four giant LED high-definition monitors hooked up to the TV coveror and in between the monitors on the sides are four more screens to make an uneven octagon similar to the Memphis Grizzlies scoreboard. Additionally, each goal will be equipped with two transparent, double-faced shot clocks – one six feet above the goal and another below it on a 90 degree angle or perpendicular to provide a view from an angle. Our unified show control system is linked to LED video displays with 18 meters of advertising space on the scorers table adjacent to the players bench and 36 meters across the floor on the press table. You’ll feel like you’re in an NBA stadium.”

The Denver architectural firm Sink Combs Dethlefs patterned the MOA Arena after the Atlanta Hawks’ home Philips Arena. Seating for basketball will accommodate 14,549 with a capacity of 4,075 for general admission and 4,459 for lower box. Every general admission ticket is guaranteed a seat. The building was configured to give every seat a clear view with “nosebleeding” a thing of the past.

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Sy supervised the MOA Arena’s construction from start to finish. “Late last year, nobody believed we could open on May 21 for Lady Gaga,” he said. “That’s because we had no roof. But not too many knew that we were building from the inside so work was progressing. I don’t believe in doing three shifts to work 24 hours. Our work hours were from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Before we opened with Lady Gaga, the last thing we did was bolt the seats down. I went around to inspect all the seats to make sure every seat was bolted. Then, I called everyone together, the whole working team. I rode them hard from the beginning and they delivered. I wanted to thank them for a job well done.”

A unique feature of the MOA Arena is its 41 VIP boxes, 31 of which are sold and 10 are for use as event lounges. The 31 boxes are leased at P9 to P12 Million a year, depending on the size (seating capacity ranges from 17 to 27). Each box has a mini-bar, sofas, sitting room, rest room and a gallery viewing section.

No doubt, Sy’s “Hans-on” approach is what beat the odds in finishing the MOA Arena in record time.