The George M. Holmes Convocation Center opened to a sold-out crowd.
    On Nov. 17, 2000, the Appalachian State University men’s basketball team hosted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Despite the inevitable 99-69 loss to the Tar Heels, all 8,325 seats in the new arena were filled.
    For the remainder of the convocation center’s inaugural season, attendance levels at home men’s basketball games dwindled. The second highest fan showing was 2,909 against East Tennessee State University.
    The 2001-2002 season wasn’t much better for Appalachian, even with the Athletic Department and Student Government Association’s creation of a Basketball Task Force to help combat low attendance.