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John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court
Champions Club Rental (2019-20)
The Pittsburg State University men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams make their home in John Lance Arena, which is housed in the Garfield Weede Building.
John Lance Arena is named in honor of legendary head coach John Lance, who won 582 games during his illustrious career at Pittsburg State and 656 games overall.
Lance, a candidate for enshrinement into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, led the Gorillas to an amazing 47 consecutive victories during one stretch of his 40-year tenure that spanned from 1923 until 1963. PSU was 20-0 during the 1929-30 campaign and 21-0 the following year. The streak finally ended in the seventh game of the 1931-32 season when the Gorillas were defeated by Henry Iba’s Northwest Missouri State University squad, 20-18.
In the spring of 2010, the hardwood and track in John Lance Arena was taken up and renovations on the facility began. Wall-to-wall maple hardwood was installed in the arena, providing three main courts to allow the men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball to practice all at the same time if necessary. Up to four courts can be utilized for summer camps for all three teams. Chairback seating was installed on the north and south ends of the arena, as well as in the mezzanine area. The new court was dedicated on January 5, 2013 and named in honor of PSU benefactors, Alan and Roberta Whetzel, who gave the lead gift that allowed the renovations to happen.
In addition, the Whetzel Family Mezzanine opened. The Whetzel Family Mezzanine houses the Champions Club, offices overlooking the court for the head volleyball and men's and women's basketball coaches, a state of the art video control room and a conference room, which is also used for post-game press conferences. Fans can rent out the Champions Club on a game-by-game basis by contacting the athletic department.
Men's Basketball
The Gorilla men truly have built a decisive home court advantage in John Lance Arena by posting a 317-150 (.679) record on the court since the 1989-90 season. Pittsburg State won a school record 40 straight games in “The Pitt,” before losing a heartbreaker, 76-74, to Truman State University in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament on February 24, 1999.
The Gorilla men have ranked 14th in NCAA Division II for home-court attendance last season and have been in the top-20 in 4 of the last 6 seasons. The Pitt State men have averaged 1,984 fans in their last 191 home games and 2,373 fans in their 132 MIAA home games (regular season & post season) in the last 14 years.
Pittsburg State began play at John Lance Arena during the 1971-72 season. The Gorillas posted a 69-67 victory against Missouri Southern State University in the first game played on the John Lance Arena hardwood on Dec. 4, 1971. The PSU men have compiled a 456-239 (.656) overall record in the facility.
Home floor success has been strong throughout the history of the PSU program. Prior to John Lance Arena, the Gorillas played 49 seasons in College Gymnasium, located between the present site of Yates Hall and the Jack Overman Student Center. During those years (1923-71), PSU posted a 394-130 (.752) record in the facility. Prior to that time, PSU posted a 50-31 (.617) home record between 1909-22. All told, PSU has compiled a 899-400 all-time home record, winning 69.2 percent of its 1,299 home games.
John Lance Arena - Men's Basketball (Records/Milestones)
Overall Home Record: 456-239 (.656)
Win No. 1: vs. Missouri Southern (69-67), Dec. 4, 1971
Win No. 50: vs. Northern Colorado (65-64), Jan. 23, 1976
Win No. 100: vs. Wayne State (Neb.) (65-51), Jan. 22, 1983
Win No. 150: vs. John Brown (79-62), Nov. 24, 1989
Win No. 200: vs. Truman State (74-69), Jan. 6, 1996
Win No. 250: vs. Central Christian (96-47), Nov. 20, 1999
Win No. 300: vs. Missouri S&T (92-72), Feb. 7, 2004
Win No. 350: vs. Haskell (96-54), Nov. 20, 2009
Win No. 400: vs. Northeastern State (106-99), Dec. 2, 2015
Win No. 450: vs. Rogers State (88-79), Jan. 29, 2022
Decade By Decade
1970s: 68-35 (.660)
1980s: 73-56 (.566)
1990s: 103-32 (.763)
2000s: 98-37 (.726)
2010s: 84-49 (.632)
2020s: 30-30 (.500)
Consecutive Home Wins: 40 (Jan. 10, 1997-Feb. 22, 1999)
Consecutive Home Losses: 5, five times, most recently: Jan. 21, 1987 - Jan. 31, 1987
Most Lopsided Home Win: 110-45, vs. Calvary Bible (Dec. 2, 2003)
Most Lopsided Home Loss: 88-55, vs. Washburn (Jan. 25, 1980)
Most Home Wins: 16-1, 1998-99
Undefeated Season: 14-0, 1997-98
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team has also built a decisive home court advantage in Lance Arena. Since the 1991-92 season, the Pittsburg State women have posted a 333-118 (.738) record in regular season competition and a 337-124 (.731) overall record, including post season play.
Pittsburg State consistently has been ranked among the top 25 schools in NCAA Division II for home-court attendance. Last season, PSU averaged 1,376 fans per game to rank third nationally in attendance. As a conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association led NCAA Division II, averaging 810 fans per game.
The PSU women won their first home game on Jan. 24, 1976, defeating Newman (59-51) after losing their first 10 home games.
John Lance Arena Women's Basketball (Records/Milestones)
Overall Home Record: 424-207 (.672)
Win No. 1: vs. Newman (59-51), Jan. 24, 1976
Win No. 50: vs. MidAmerica Nazarene (71-62), Nov. 29, 1984
Win No. 100: vs. Central Oklahoma (69-66 OT), Nov. 30, 1991
Win No. 150: vs. Missouri Valley (90-74), Nov. 25, 1995
Win No. 200: vs. Missouri Southern (80-45), Feb. 16, 2000
Win No. 250: vs. Southwest Baptist (69-48), Feb. 22, 2006
Win No. 300: vs. Lincoln (78-73), Feb. 11, 2012
Win No. 350: vs. Nebraska-Kearney (84-80), Dec. 1, 2016
Win No. 400: vs. Tabor (86-53), Dec. 29, 2021
Decade By Decade
1970s: 11-34 (.244)
1980s: 78-50 (.609)
1990s: 106-29 (.785)
2000s: 80-51 (.611)
2010s: 106-26 (.803)
2020s: 43-17 (717)
Most Home Wins: 14-2, 2015-16
Undefeated Season: 11-0, 1992-93
Volleyball
PSU has compiled a 258-261-3 record in John Lance Arena since the Gorillas began play in the 1974 season. PSU won its inaugural home volleyball match, defeating Evangel College (2-1) on October 15, 1974.
The Gorillas has a successful streak of wins and strong attendance in the early 2000s, the most successful era for Gorilla Volleyball. For seven consecutive seasons, Pitt State ranked in the top 20 among NCAA Division II schools for attendance, including third-place rankings in 2003 and 2004 and fourth-place rankings in 2006 and 2007. A school record crowd of 2,246 fans watched the Gorillas defeat rival Missouri Southern, 3-2, on September 18, 2003. That mark set the MIAA attendance record and was the seventh-largest in NCAA Division II history at the time.
Overall Home Record: 258-261-3 (.494)
Win No. 1: vs. Evangel (2-1), Oct. 15, 1974
Win No. 50: vs. Baker (2-0), Sept. 14, 1985
Win No. 100: vs. Drury (3-0), Oct. 22, 1997
Win No. 150: vs. Rockhurst (3-0), Oct. 16, 2007
Win No. 200: vs. Fort Hays State (3-2), Nov. 2, 2013
Win No. 250: vs. Emporia State (3-0), Sept. 30, 2022
Decade By Decade
1970s: 15-21 (.417)
1980s: 56-66 (.448)
1990s: 33-48 (.407)
2000s: 72-40 (.643)
2010s: 53-65 (.449)
2020s: 29-21 (.580)
Most Home Wins: 13-1, 2008
