2:53 PM | Tuesday, October 6, 2026
After a year out of service due to needed repairs, the main gymnasium at Brooklyn Center Middle School and Brooklyn Center High School has reopened for use.
It’s a welcome change for students and staff.
The gymnasium had to close because the court was buckling in multiple places with the concrete underneath measuring excessive moisture levels.
As a result, coaches, athletes and families were left without a home court. Gym classes were also shuffled out to smaller gyms on campus.
“It was tough when it was closed. We had to find alternate spaces for everybody, we had to change our schedules around. The staff was really good about it. They ran with it, but we are ready to use this place again,” said Principal Arslan Aziz.
It was a season on the road for the Centaur basketball teams last year with all 26 of its games played away. Coaches worried the district was dragging its feet. But even after coaches raised concerns, the district said it wasn’t a simple fix— the whole floor was compromised.
Vendors, engineers and the Institute for Environmental Assessment came in to look at the court, tear it up and assess moisture levels. It was a long journey as the school worked with insurance.
Neighboring schools pulled together for Brooklyn Center in the meantime. When the Blake boys basketball coach noticed that the Brooklyn Center team didn’t get a single home game, he offered to host one for the team’s senior night.
The principal and superintendent cut the ribbon on the new and improved court.
A New Start
The district held its homecoming pep fest along with a ribbon cutting in the revamped gym in late September. Aziz said students were excited to be back in the space.
Aziz said they’re looking forward to senior nights at home this year.
Brooklyn Center High School