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Sanford Pentagon to debut with NBA preseason game DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A 1950s-style throwback basketball court with a dark parquet floor and retro scoreboards is the centerpiece of a $19 million indoor athletic complex set to open in Sioux Falls next month. • The Sanford Pentagon will make its prime-time debut Oct. 10 with an NBA preseason game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks at the 3,250-seat Heritage Court. The arena will soon serve as home for the NBA development league's Sioux Falls Skyforce. • Eric Larsen, general manager of the Sanford Sports Complex, said although the Pentagon boasts such modern amenities as high-definition video boards and luxury suites, the goal is for fans to feel like they're in an old-school gymnasium. • "We've tried to design it take you back into the 'Hoosiers'-era," said Larsen, referring to the popular movie about a fictional Indiana high school basketball team. "So when you walk into the facility, you end up back in the '50s and '60s." • The Pentagon is part of a 162-acre Sanford Sports Complex built by the Sioux Falls and Fargo, N.D.-based Sanford Health system. The complex features nine youth football fields and the Sanford Fieldhouse, an indoor athletic training, sports medicine and physical therapy facility. • Construction of an 82-room hotel and a restaurant are nearly complete, and Sanford has donated land to organizations planning to build a seven-court indoor tennis facility and a three-rink ice hockey center. • The Pentagon Heritage Court will host another high-profile basketball game -- Wisconsin's season opener against St. John's -- on Nov. 8 before becoming the Skyforce's home. • Mike Heineman, owner and president of the Skyforce, a Miami Heat-affiliated NBA D-League team, said the new seats and video boards will be a huge draw for fans. • "It's pretty much a dream facility for a minor league basketball team," Heineman said. • The Pentagon's court features seats that retract to reveal two additional college/pro-size courts, which will provide a great open area for Skyforce practices, Heineman said. • Six additional courts on three sides of the Pentagon will be used for high school and college basketball and volleyball tournaments, Larsen said. • "We're concentrating right now on the grand opening and some really big (Continued on page 28)
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