The new Auburn Arena scored with those who attended its grand opening Oct. 15.
Auburn men's basketball great Charles Barkley called the opening of the arena "a celebration for Auburn" and expressed his fascination for the building itself.
"That place across the street (the Coliseum) was a dump when I played there in 1981," he said. "Clearly in 2011, it's a dump."
The Arena holds roughly a thousand fewer people than its predecessor (9,600 to the Coliseum's 10,500), but Barkley said that wasn't necessarily bad.
"Bigger isn't always better," he said.
He wished men's basketball coach Tony Barbee luck on his upcoming first season as coach.
"He's at a big-time school," Barkley said. "He wants to win, and he's going to win."
Barbee called Friday's crowd "unbelievable."
"You are just as important as my leading scorer or leading rebounder," Barbee said to the crowd. "We need you here every game."
After the teams were introduced and celebrations finished, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters took the court versus the Washington Generals for the Arena's first official basketball game.
The Globetrotters claim to have more than 23,000 wins versus 345 losses throughout its history, for a winning percentage of .986.
The team has not lost a game since 2006.
The Globetrotters have earned its name by touring around the world, claiming to have played in 120 countries and territories.
Down 73-68 with three minutes remaining, the Globetrotters ceased their theatrics and played competitively, rather than comically, in order to avoid the rare loss.
"It was a fun night," Barbee said with a smile.
The Auburn fans in attendance would readily agree with him.
The first Auburn basketball game of the season will be Nov. 3.
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