It’s only fitting that Matt Santangelo, the executive director of Hoopfest and Gonzaga University’s sixth all-time leading scorer, would secure new office space in an area with ceilings high enough to erect a regulation-size basketball hoop.

After having spent 23 years on the second floor of the Bank of America Financial Center at 601 W. Riverside, Hoopfest has moved down the street to the first floor of the Paulsen Center, at 421 W. Riverside, directly across the street from the U.S. Bank Building.

“It gives us street presence year-round and it gives us a little bit of privacy,” Santangelo says. “We were really in a fish bowl in the other spot. We loved the traffic, but there are times when we as a staff need to sit and talk and plan.”

Hoopfest’s previous office space was in a highly visible location in the Bank of America Financial Center that was near a skybridge that connects the building with the Spokane Transit Authority bus plaza.

Hoopfest occupies 2,700 square feet of space at its new location, up from 1,600 square feet at its previous location, he says.

Spokane-based Hurtado|HDG Design Group LLC, which does business as HDG Architecture and is owned and operated by Josh Hissong and Armando Hurtado, is continuing to work with Hoopfest on the final design of the new office space. The space is expected to be remodeled by the middle of fall, Santangelo says.

Santangelo says the building’s owner, Diamond Parking Co., of Seattle, and building manager Lisa Dowers worked with Hoopfest to get its staff of six into the building.

Says Santangelo, “This isn’t Hoopfest misspending. This is a favor from a community business and people that see there’s value in helping us out. They were really able to help us at an affordable rate.”