The UConn Basketball Development Center has officially broken ground. The center will be a dedicated, new practice facility for UConn's championship men's and women's basketball programs and will be located right behind Gampel Pavilion on the site of the former Memorial Stadium.
"This is a landmark day for UConn," said UConn president Susan Herbst. "Our coaches and athletes have made UConn basketball the envy of the nation. They earned this facility with their hard work and their dedication."
The UConn Basketball Development Center is also a testament to the strength of the university's alumni and supporters whose donations are providing the financial support.
"This facility is being built by our donors," said Herbst. "We are so grateful to them for their support as we make our way to being one of the highest ranked research universities in the nation."
"This facility is going to be a great landmark for our University and for our student-athletes and alumni," said men's basketball Coach Kevin Ollie, who expressed his gratitude to former head men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun and women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma for their leadership and to the alumni and donors who supported the project. "This building is going up as a foundation for the future of our program, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. "
The new 78,000 s/f facility will feature practice gyms for the men's and women's basketball programs, along with locker rooms, coaches' offices, and area for academic support, video analysis, sports medicine and strength training. The facility will allow basketball student athletes to practice, train, study and dine in one location.
The facility is one of the projects supported through the fundraising campaign launched in September 2009 by the UConn Foundation. So far, the Foundation has received about $28 million in donations and pledges for construction of the new facility, which is estimated to cost about $35 million.
Fundraising for the project has been led by the foundation's athletic campaign steering committee, chaired by alumnus Robert Skinner, '93 CLAS, who is also a member of the foundation's board of directors.
Populous is the architect for the project and Daniel O'Connell and Sons is serving as the contractor.
Construction on the facility is expected to be completed in 2014.