As most of you have probably heard, the Joel is currently undergoing some renovations. There was an illustration floating around that had the changes outlined, but as is the case with illustrations, some of it was a bit perplexing. So I spoke with Scott Wortman, Assistant Director of Media Relations, and asked him about the changes.

The Joel's first noticeable change will be an upgrade in telescoping seating. The seats are nicer and will place fans closer to the floor. These are typically season ticket seats, so the chance to get fans closer to the court is always a good addition. Plus, telescoping seating tends to give a better view.

"Since we are their primary tenant, we wanted to be a part of the process," Wortman said, "so we worked with Joel to tailor to how we would want it."

Another big change will be covering up the home tunnel. That tunnel is where the team runs out of, but will be replaced by a new tunnel behind the home basket, near the press rows and across from the student section. The visitors will have the same tunnel, near the visitors bench and the student section.

Finally, in the student section, a good number of seats are being replaced with risers. Wortman indicated that the risers will be an opportunity to get more students into the seats, as well as bring students a bit closer to the court. There will still be seats in the rows closest to the visitor's fans and on the opposite side of the student section. The risers are mostly behind the visitor's hoop.

The renovations will be completed before the start of practice and I look forward to seeing how they look.