Mother Nature did her best to prevent it, but Spurs and Rodeo officials announced on Wednesday, January 24 that both the North and South parking lots at the site of the SBC Center are paved, striped, and lit in time for San Antonio's 52nd annual Stock Show and Rodeo, set to begin on February 3, 2001. The new lots, on the grounds of Freeman Coliseum, are a welcome change to the gravel lots that previously covered those grounds.

"It was a real team effort that got us here today. We all appreciate the dedication of our contractors and the hard work of their crews," said Rick Pych, Spurs executive vice president and chief development officer for SBC Center. "They really pulled it all together to get these parking lots completed on schedule."

Construction of the SBC Center is currently under way and on schedule. The Center is slated to open its doors in the fall of 2002.