Renovate, don’t relocate: UNC basketball legends want to keep Smith Center on campus

As university leadership considers the future of North Carolina’s basketball arena, some program legends are making their opinion clear: Renovate the Dean E. Smith Center and keep it on campus.

“I’m very much in favor of staying here in the Smith Center, renovating, remodeling, whatever we need to do,” former coach Roy Williams said in a video released on X by a group called Smith Center South. “I do not want to go off campus.”

The Smith Center is located on the far south end of UNC's campus. The university owns Carolina North, which used to be home to an airport, located two miles north of campus. The property, which is more than 230 acres, is currently undeveloped.

The group created a website at RenovateSmithCenter.org. More than 6,120 people have signed an online petition on the site. Williams won three national championships as the Tar Heels’ head coach and served as an assistant coach under Dean Smith.

In 2024, UNC was considering six potential options, including two off-campus sites, for the 40-year-old Smith Center. The university has been contemplating the future of the building for more than a decade. It is in need of repairs, including a new roof, and lacks many of the modern amenities of new arenas, like revenue-generating suites or club seats. 

The arena’s location on campus and near a hospital creates parking and traffic issues. The arena’s lack of amenities and parking issues means it doesn’t host large concerts or other touring events.

Building a new arena at Carolina North was seen as the most likely outcome. A final decision was expected by the end of 2025.

But university leadership has delayed a decision, in part, because of the feedback it has received from former players and other stakeholders.

“Careful study of arena options will help deliver a modern, basketball-first facility that enhances competitive excellence, strengthens recruiting and grows revenue to support Carolina Athletics,” the administration wrote in a December letter.

“By improving fan experience, technology, accessibility and surrounding amenities, this process can ensure that the next generation of the Smith Center keeps Carolina Basketball an elite national program for decades to come. A robust process also protects what matters most: the names and legacy of Dean Smith, Roy Williams and the championship standard that defines Carolina Basketball.”

Williams said in his video that Smith wanted the arena to remain on campus.

“That was his wish,” Williams said. “There was no question.”

Hansbrough, a four-time All-ACC selection, was the national player of the year in 2008 and won a national title in 2009. He said the Smith Center is “a special place that holds a lot of memories.”

“It’s very important that we keep the Smith Center right here on campus and push for renovations so many other Tar Heels can have the experience that we had here in the future,” Hansbrough said in a video posted on the site.

Brice Johnson, another former Tar Heel star, has been vocal on X, calling for the arena to remain on campus.

“I loved playing in this place more than any other place on this planet,” Johnson wrote.

North Carolina has won 500 games at the Smith Center since it opened.

“We want Carolina basketball to be special,” Williams said. “We want Carolina basketball to be different and the Smith Center is part of that. I am hopeful that the administration really is very sincere,  and I think they are, about looking at other options and not just saying we have to go to Carolina North for financial reasons.”