Westchester County Center set to reopen for events Feb. 27

The last time a basketball championship was celebrated in the Westchester County Center was in March 2020.

News 12 Staff

Jan 25, 2023, 10:37 PM

Updated 625 days ago

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The doors to the County Center will soon reopen for events in White Plains after three years.
The last time a basketball championship was celebrated in the Westchester County Center was in March 2020.
It was Section One's biggest week of playoff basketball - and that weekend would be the last time the famous White Plains arena would hear the roar of the crowd.
Just a few days later, everything would stop on and off the court as COVID-19 broke out in the county.
The arena known for its great basketball atmosphere quickly turned into a medical facility for the pandemic.  
"When they built the hospital bays, they had solid walls, they brought in oxygen and water electricity. You have to imagine booths so to speak, little, small rooms that were here - so to completely changed the infrastructure what was underneath here," said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. 
The basketball court was ripped up and deemed unusable along with other areas of the County Center.
After months of being a COVID facility, the county executive and Parks Department officials got the funding needed to lay down a new floor.
However, supply chain issues delayed the process, putting basketball and other events in jeopardy.
Last month, workers began laying down the new floor. It was not just music to county officials' ears, but also those at Section One.
Both county and Section One officials have had dialogues regarding championship week. A decision on the reunion could come as soon as next week.
Either way, Westchester County's most famous arena is scheduled to reopen on Feb. 27. 
It appears there's a good chance Section One's championship week will return to the Westchester County Center at the end of February. If it happens, it's fitting that the last sporting event held there will be the first to return. 
Section One officials will tour the County Center Thursday.