Oregon announced that it will name its new arena the Matthew Knight Arena in honor of the son of Phil Knight and his wife, Penny. The Knights have been strong supporters of the Ducks athletics programs.

Matthew Knight died at age 34 in 2004.

The $200 million, 12,500-seat arena was approved last month after six years of planning. No taxpayer money will be used to fund the construction, and it is expected to be open for the start of the Pacific-10 basketball season in 2011. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for next month.

About 2,000 seats in the new arena will be reserved for student seating. The average ticket price for men’s basketball across all seating levels will be $28 per game.

“The Matthew Knight Arena, together with our first-rate football stadium, new baseball park and world-class track and field facility, provides a solid foundation to position Oregon athletics for the future,” said Athletics Director Pat Kilkenny. “It’s been an honor for me to be a part of the team at Oregon and I couldn’t be more pleased with the support and commitment we’ve received from donors, fans and athletics department staff.”