UConn Basketball Champions Center should be done very soon

[Drumguy]

Visited campus today and they are finishing up the landscaping. The outside looks ready. Probably open very soon if not next week.

 

[Kauffmak10]

Sorry if I missed the info on this, but does anyone know if there will be any kind of tours available to see the new facility? Will they be available to anyone or season ticket holder/donors?

 

[Vuce]

Sorry if I missed the info on this, but does anyone know if there will be any kind of tours available to see the new facility? Will they be available to anyone or season ticket holder/donors?

They did that for the football facilities years ago. I hope they do it for this too.

 

[UconnDon]

Is Champions Center the official name of the new facility??

 

[mcs333]

Brick pavers instead of grass, cool.

 

[mcs333]

It took one week but the brick pavers are finally in between the road and the sidewalk. Looks great. Hopefully the front will be landscaped next week. The building is going to look great with Gampel in the background. Also does anyone know if they connected the two buildings?

 

[Rocktheworld]

Also does anyone know if they connected the two buildings?

Highly doubt they did.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Just curious, how does UConn's new practice facility stack up against others college basketball programs? I read the estimated cost is right around $35 million. I know Kentucky's state of the art Joe Craft Center is valued at $30 million and Louisville's "The Yum Center" (different from KFC Yum! Center) is around $16 million. Not sure about Duke, Kansas, UNC, Indiana, Cuse, etc.

Edit: VCU is starting work on a $25 million practice facility of their own. Ohio State and Nebraska are both also working on $19 million basketball practice facilities.

 

[Gurleyman]

Just curious, how does UConn's new practice facility stack up against others college basketball programs? I read the estimated cost is right around $35 million. I know Kentucky's state of the art Joe Craft Center is valued at $30 million and Louisville's "The Yum Center" (different from KFC Yum! Center) is around $16 million. Not sure about Duke, Kansas, UNC, Indiana, Cuse, etc. Edit: VCU is starting work on a $25 million practice facility of their own. Ohio State and Nebraska are both also working on $19 million basketball practice facilities.

Not sure about the other specs, but ours does require the most space for national championship trophies, so that adds to our overhead.

Although Syracuse does plan to put their trophy in a case with funhouse style mirrors to give the visual effect of there being a lot of trophies. That bridges the gap a little.

 

[pj]

Not sure about the other specs, but ours does require the most space for national championship trophies, so that adds to our overhead.

Although Syracuse does plan to put their trophy in a case with funhouse style mirrors to give the visual effect of there being a lot of trophies. That bridges the gap a little.

We have to leave space for future trophies. Syracuse doesn't.

 

[mcs333]

Don't forget our is for both the women and men teams. Also when completely furnished I believe the cost is 40M.

 

[jleves]

Just curious, how does UConn's new practice facility stack up against others college basketball programs? I read the estimated cost is right around $35 million. I know Kentucky's state of the art Joe Craft Center is valued at $30 million and Louisville's "The Yum Center" (different from KFC Yum! Center) is around $16 million. Not sure about Duke, Kansas, UNC, Indiana, Cuse, etc.

Edit: VCU is starting work on a $25 million practice facility of their own. Ohio State and Nebraska are both also working on $19 million basketball practice facilities.

It's pretty much the pinnacle today - it will certainly be surpassed in the not to distant future. For reference, the Joe Craft Center @30M in 2007 has to be a bit dated 7 years later. The total cost wasn't just for basketball. From wikipedia: The project also includes a ticket office, athletic administration offices and the renovation of 17,500 ft² (1,630 m²) of space in Memorial Coliseum to support requirements from the volleyball, gymnastics and other sports teams.

Bottom line - there is no better basketball practice facility in college sports today.

 

[breezy]

Maybe a dumb question- where did all the practice/lifting/office/conference room stuff etc take place before the practice facility? I assume Gampel?

 

[Gurleyman]

Maybe a dumb question- where did all the practice/lifting/office/conference room stuff etc take place before the practice facility? I assume Gampel?

Gampel, but it turned out to be woefully inadequate almost from the get go, since the program took off when they were putting the Patoni tiles in the ceiling. There's a story that when JC first saw how small his office was going to be and how unimpressive it would look to recruits, he commandeered a conference room instead. Once the musical chairs stopped, and more room was needed for staff additions such as video coordinators and basketball operations, there was no space left for a VIP lounge (for donors to schmooze pregame over drinks) or a media work area (for a full-sized horde at the time). So they just threw some tables and chairs into open hallways behind curtains, which looks terrible.

Space was clearly needed for a while, and it really should have been a major priority, at least after the Burton Complex was finished.

 

[tcf15]

Patrick Eaton-Robb ‏@peatonrobb
Got a tour of #UConn's new basketball center, the first of several new on-campus sports facilities being planned.

Patrick Eaton-Robb ‏@peatonrobb 4m
Those entering basketball center will be greeted by 13 championship trophies, and an interactive Hall of Fame. #uconn2018

 

[Scot-e]

I would love to see one picture of the CC that has a sunny sky in the background. IT always looks like there is DOOM right around the corner.

 

[tcf15]

I would love to see one picture of the CC that has a sunny sky in the background. IT always looks like there is DOOM right around the corner.

Happy now?

 

[Rocktheworld]

the first of several new on-campus sports facilities being planned.

Okay so we know about the hockey arena and the gym, but do these three constitute "several?"

 

[Nnocu]

Happy now?

View attachment 6395

Reminds me of the sun from tellytubbies

 

[FDNY99]

Okay so we know about the hockey arena and the gym, but do these three constitute "several?"

That tweet must be referencing the Athletic Dept master plan to upgrade facilities...aside from the hoops facility there will be the new ice hockey arena/team facility, baseball stadium, softball stadium, and soccer stadium (the football practice field is supposed to be moved directly behind the Schenkman facility to make it look like a T).
http://wtnh.com/2014/07/21/uconn-faces-fundraising-challenge-for-athletics/
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/49a0070bc1d34bedb0edf0d040553349/CT--UConn-Athletics-Future/

 

[tcf15]

Okay so we know about the hockey arena and the gym, but do these three constitute "several?"

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Xcln1HhJ

The university already has committed to building an on-campus hockey arena in the next four years as it moves its men's program this fall into Hockey East, the nation's top hockey conference. And UConn is planning new on-campus facilities for soccer, baseball and softball.

 

[mcs333]

Finally the landscaping is going in. Curb appeal should look great once it is done.

 

[GemParty]

Disappointed they didn't offer Fans, an opportunity to purchase/design pavers for the courtyard area. Would have been a nice touch.

 

[David 76]

Finally the landscaping is going in. Curb appeal should look great once it is done.

A fundraising opportunity missed!

 

[UCONNJACK]

That tweet must be referencing the Athletic Dept master plan to upgrade facilities...aside from the hoops facility there will be the new ice hockey arena/team facility, baseball stadium, softball stadium, and soccer stadium (the football practice field is supposed to be moved directly behind the Schenkman facility to make it look like a T).
http://wtnh.com/2014/07/21/uconn-faces-fundraising-challenge-for-athletics/
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/49a0070bc1d34bedb0edf0d040553349/CT--UConn-Athletics-Future/

Construction of a new track facility for hammer throw and shot put went out to bid yesterday. A new softball facility is scheduled to be built on the old hammer/shot put/stadium facilities building site.