Spring Break
Where the games are won
New practice facility helps coaches recruit, players work harder.
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: News
| |
|
In response to Texas A&M's recent success, the McFerrin and Cox families decided to donate money to create a new practice facility.
The Cox-McFerrin facility, which has been rising next to Reed Arena since 2007, will be the largest basketball practice facility in the nation. The facility carries a price tag of $26 million, is three stories tall and measures 68,000 square feet.
The facility is split down the middle, women's on the left and men's on the right. The first floor is equipped with a large training room that features several training tables, two whirlpools and a rehab pool that includes a built-in treadmill. Two locker rooms, two media rooms and two players' lounges sit at the end of the hallway on the first floor.
Separate practice courts and a weight room make up the second floor. In Reed Arena, the men's and women's teams share a practice court. With separate courts in Cox-McFerrin, neither team will have to wait for the other to finish practice.
"[Separate practice facilities] is a huge advantage," said men's Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "Reed Arena was owned by the school so we had to share it. The practice facility is ours. It provides our players a place to shoot anytime they like."
Women's Head Coach Gary Blair and Turgeon will no longer walk to Reed Arena from their offices in the Koldus building. The third floor of the practice facility will be coaches offices that overlook the practice courts.
Blair and Turgeon said the facility will boost A&M's recruiting abilities.
"It has already helped us with the early commitments we already have," Blair said. "The donors are showing a commitment to basketball, and people want to come here because basketball is becoming the sport people always dreamed about."
"The new facility is already showing signs of help," Turgeon said. "It shows that Texas A&M is making a commitment to basketball. With the new facility we expect to bring in at least two to three good [recruiting] classes."
Having a new practice facility is also inspiring players to spend more time practicing so their performances during games will reflect their hard work.
"Everything is brand new, top of the line, the best in the country," said sophomore point guard Sydney Colson. "It allows us to come in whenever we want to and shoot. We know that if we work hard it will show in the games."
Besides affecting players and coaches, the practice facility will also host donor banquets and possibly a store with Aggie gear.
"We hope [the practice facility] makes students become fans the entire season, not just during conference," Blair said. "Hopefully in the near future the facility would be open year round, we could allow fans to come in and buy Aggie gear."
The first floor is nearing completion. Both teams have been moved into their locker rooms and players have been allowed to use the new training room.
The second floor is expected to be completed in early December.
By the end of December, the coaches are expecting to move into the new offices and the facility should be complete by early January. The Association of Former Students will unveil the practice facility with a dedication ceremony on Jan. 17.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com