After a tough stretch on the hardwood, Oklahoma men’s basketball finally has something to cheer about - and this time, the victory came off the court.
On Tuesday, the City of Norman announced that the Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled a petition against the proposed entertainment district - which includes a new arena for the Sooners - as legally insufficient. That clears the way for the long-delayed Rock Creek Entertainment District project to move forward, giving OU fans a glimpse of a brighter future, even as the team battles through an eight-game losing streak.
This decision puts a major legal hurdle in the rearview and breathes new life into a project that's been stuck in neutral for nearly two years. The petition, filed by a group called Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development, had tied up progress with legal challenges. Now, with the court’s ruling, the vision for a new home for Oklahoma basketball and gymnastics - and a whole lot more - is back on track.
At the heart of the billion-dollar Rock Creek Entertainment District is a state-of-the-art arena that will replace the aging Lloyd Noble Center. The new venue is designed to host OU men’s and women’s basketball, as well as women’s gymnastics, and will also serve as a destination for concerts and major events. But this isn’t just about sports - it’s a full-scale development plan that includes hotels, restaurants, housing, and retail, all centered around the university’s North Park area.
In short, it’s a game-changer for the university, the city of Norman, and the entire region.
The timing of the court’s decision is especially interesting, coming just days after Roger Denny was introduced as Oklahoma’s new athletic director. Whether you want to call this the first win of the Denny era or the final legacy move of longtime AD Joe Castiglione - who recently stepped into a part-time advisory role after 28 years leading the department - it’s a milestone moment for the program.
The groundwork for this project was laid long before Denny arrived, but he brings a unique skill set to see it through. Before jumping into college athletics at Illinois in 2021, Denny spent 15 years as an attorney in the St.
Louis area. And he’s no stranger to large-scale development.
He played a key role in the legal side of the Ballpark Village project - the sprawling entertainment complex surrounding Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.
That experience is directly relevant here, with the Rock Creek plan bearing a striking resemblance to that project.
At his introductory press conference, Denny made it clear he’s ready for the long haul.
“If you know much about Ballpark Village, you know just how long that project took,” Denny said. “The thing I learned from that is you’ve just got to keep 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.”
It’s a mindset OU fans can get behind - especially at a time when wins have been hard to come by on the court. While the basketball team works to get back on track, the university just scored a major off-court victory that could reshape the future of Oklahoma athletics for decades to come.