Students to have Galen lottery

USC athletic officials said Wednesday they have set aside 1,930 seats for students at the Galen Center, necessitating the use of a still-to-be-determined lottery system for men’s basketball games.

Jose Eskenazi, an associate athletic director in business development, estimated that an average of 400-500 students attended men’s basketball games last season at the Sports Arena. But he acknowledged increased interest in the team’s new 10,258-seat home.

“We will see what the ticket demands are and if we can open up more seats for students, depending on demand, we will,” said Eskenazi, noting that roughly 20% of seats had been set aside for students, about the same percentage as they had at the 16,000-seat Sports Arena.

The only requirement for entry to tonight’s volleyball match between USC and Stanford is a valid student ID, Eskenazi said.