Oklahoma basketball finally gets a win as long-delayed new arena clears hurdle

The Oklahoma men's basketball program finally got a much-needed win, it just wasn't on the court.

The City of Norman revealed on Tuesday that the gist of the petition that was hindering the entertainment district project, which includes a new arena for OU, was ruled insufficient by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, so fans can at least look forward to the future of the Sooners (that hopefully doesn't include Porter Moser) even in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.

According to the City of Norman's website, the project will move forward as originally intended after being delayed for nearly two years because of legal issues caused by the petition from Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development.

New OU AD Roger Denny perfect fit to finish entertainment district project

The billion-dollar Rock Creek Entertainment District plan will most notably feature a new arena that will replace Lloyd Noble Center as the new home for OU men's basketball, women's basketball and women's gymnastics. The venue can also host concerts and other events. The plan also includes hotels, restaurants, housing and more around the arena at the University of Oklahoma’s North Park area.

This win could either be considered the first of the Roger Denny era as OU's new athletic director or the last from Joe Castiglione before heading into a new part-time role after leading the Sooners' athletic department for 28 years.

Although timing favors Denny since his introductory press conference was just last week, this project has been in the works long before Castiglione decided to retire and OU knew it would need a new AD. However, Denny is the perfect leader to guide this project to the finish line, even if he wasn't there from the start.

Before getting into college athletics at Illinois in 2021, Denny was an attorney for about 15 years in the St. Louis area. During that time, he helped represent St. Louis bond issuers in the deal that eventually led to the construction of Ballpark Village, which included a new stadium for the MLB's St. Louis Cardinals, as well as more dining, hotels and entertainment around Busch Stadium. The Rock Creek Entertainment District is extremely similar to that plan.

“If you know much about Ballpark Village, you know just how long that project took," Denny said at his introductory press conference. "The thing I learned from that is you’ve just got to keep plugging away at it and plugging away at it. Every time it turns and you think the deal might be falling apart or whatever it is, we’ll stay in the fight longer than anyone else. I think that’s what we’ll look to do and we’ll continue to plug away until we get that built.”