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 336-161 (.676) record on the court since joining Division II (1989-90). Pittsburg State began play at John Lance Arena during the 1971-72 season, posting a 69-67 victory against Missouri Southern State University in the first game played in the facility on December 4, 1971. Overall the Gorilla men have complied a 475-250 (.655) record in the facility.
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.
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 919-411 all-time home record, winning 69.1 percent of its 1,330 home games.
Overall Home Record: 475-250 (.655)
1st Win: December 4, 1971 (69-67) vs. Missouri Southern
50th Win: February 11, 1977 (80-70) vs. Missouri Western
100th Win: January 12, 1985 (86-67) vs. Evangel
150th Win: January 3, 1991 (91-65) vs. Missouri Baptist
200th Win: January 10, 1997 (97-89) vs. Park (Mo.)
250th Win: January 22, 2000 (87-61) vs. Southwest Baptist
300th Win: January 5, 2005 (75-66) vs. Missouri Southern
350th Win: December 8, 2010 (75-66) vs. Northwest Missouri
400th Win: February 13, 2016 (77-61) vs. Nebraska - Kearney
450th Win: December 7, 2023 (82-66) vs. Newman
Decade By Decade
1970s: 68-35 (.660)
1980s: 73-56 (.566)
1990s: 105-32 (.766)
2000s: 98-37 (.726)
2010s: 84-50 (.627)
2020s: 47-40 (.540)
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 joining Division II (1989-90) with a 360-128 (.738) record. Overall the Gorillas have posted a 447-211 (.679) record in the facility, going 431-201 (.682) in the regular season and 16-10 (.615) in post season action, 6-2 (.750) in Division II national tournaments.
Pittsburg State consistently has been ranked among the top 25 schools in NCAA Division II for home-court attendance. For the 2025-26 season, PSU averaged 1,041 fans per game to rank 10th nationally in attendance.
The PSU women won their first home game on Jan. 24, 1976, defeating Newman (59-51) after losing their first 10 home games.
Overall Home Record: 447-211 (.679)
1st Win: January 24, 1976 (59-51) vs. Newman
50th Win: November 29, 1984 (71-62) vs. MidAmerica Nazarene
100th Win: November 30, 1991 (69-66 OT) cs. Central Oklahoma
150th Win: November 25, 1995 (9074) vs. Missouri Valley
200th Win: February 16, 2000 (80-45) vs. Missouri Southern
250th Win: February 22, 2006 (69-48) vs. Southwest Baptist
300th Win: February 11, 2012 (78-73) vs. Lincoln (Mo.)
350th Win: December 1, 2016 (84-80) vs. Nebraska - Kearney
400th Win: December 29, 2021 (86-53) vs. Tabor
Decade By Decade
1970s: 11-34 (.244)
1980s: 78-50 (.609)
1990s: 106-29 (.785)
2000s: 80-51 (.611)
2010s: 106-25 (.809)
2020s: 66-22 (.750)
Most Home Wins: 15-0, 2024-25
Undefeated Seasons: 11-0, 1992-93 & 15-0, 2024-25
Volleyball
Pittsburg State began play in the facility in the 1974, winning its inaugural home match against Evangel (2-1) on October 15, 1974. Since joining Division II (1989) the Gorillas are 207-192 (.519) in the facility and 274-274-3 (.500) overall.
The Gorillas in the early 2000s had a successful streak of wins and strong attendance during 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 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: 274-274-3 (.500)
1st Win: October 15, 1974 (2-1) vs. Evangel
50th Win: September 14, 1985 (2-0) vs. Baker
100th Win: October 22, 1997 (3-0) vs. Drury
150th Win: October 16, 2007 (3-0) vs. Rockhurst
200th Win: November 2, 2013 (3-2) vs. Fort Hays State
250th Win: September 30, 2022 (3-0) vs. Emporia State
Decade By Decade
1970s: 15-21-0 (.417)
1980s: 56-66-3 (.460)
1990s: 33-48-0 (.407)
2000s: 72-40-0 (.643)
2010s: 53-65-0 (.449)
2020s: 45-34-0 (.570)
Most Home Wins: 13-1, 2008
