Indiana says its new center is ‘the only way to go’
By Charles Hallman
Staff Writer
A new basketball practice facility for University of Minnesota basketball? Is it needed?
According to U of M Men’s Coach Tubby Smith, wanting one isn’t a case of being a copycat or keeping up with the Joneses — although other Big Ten programs, such as Indiana, do have such a facility.
Plans for one to be built on the Minnesota campus have been on the board for some time; it is believed that a promise to build one was one of the selling points that convinced Smith to come here in 2007. “It is penciled in to be in that parking lot west of the [Sports] Pavilion,” proclaimed Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi. “That’s right now where it tentatively would be.”
Both Gopher teams currently practice at Williams Arena.
After Sunday’s Minnesota-Ohio State contest, Smith told reporters that having a new practice facility would show a solid commitment to his program. “It’s the sign of the times. It’s needed.”
Ground was broken for Indiana’s new basketball development center in 2007, and it officially opened last April. Cook Hall, which is connected to the basketball teams’ Assembly Hall home court via underground tunnel, serves as the daily headquarters for the men’s and women’s basketball programs. The 67,000-square-foot, multilevel facility features practice courts, locker rooms, a strength and conditioning area, coaches’ offices and meeting/video rooms.
“We are so proud of it,” Indiana (IU) Head Women’s Basketball Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said of the facility. “We have our own court, and the men have their own court. Everything is set up exactly the same, across the line.”
A new facility was desperately needed, continued the fifth-year IU women’s coach. “We have been kicked out of our gym for so many reasons,” she recalls. “The Dali Lama [once] came to town, and concerts.”
The IU men and women players have 24-hour access to the building, claimed Legette-Jack. “They have a swipe card, and we can tell when people swipe in,” she said, adding jokingly, “The janitors can’t stand us, because [players] get in there and shoot at two in the morning. It scares [them] when they come in and clean.”
Having such a basketball facility, in her opinion, is what separates big-time programs from the pretenders. “It is the only way to go now. It can help with recruiting and us getting better. It has been sensational.”
According to Indiana athletics media relations, a $15 million gift from a local group along with other donations helped pay for the new Hoosiers practice facility.
“It’s all about fundraising,” Maturi told the MSR during an interview last July, adding that fundraising for a new Minnesota baseball stadium “is a little bit ahead of the basketball facility.”
A fundraiser recently was held to raise funds for a new Gopher ballpark. “We’re about halfway or so to our seven and a half million [dollars] need to do phase one,” claimed the AD. However, nothing similar has been held for a new U of M hoops facility thus far, at least not publicly.
“It’s an ongoing process, because we are not going to the state [legislature] for any money,” said Maturi.
Still, Smith hasn’t lost hope — at least not yet — for his wish for a new U of M hoops facility. “I know the university and the administration is working on it,” the coach said.
“We are finally in the mix,” surmised Legette-Jack of the IU basketball facility. Meanwhile, it appears that such a new practice place for Gopher basketball remains the stuff hoop dreams are made of these days.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.
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