Detroit News: 'Tremendous' Crisler Center improvements near completion ($52 million)

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The upgrades are necessary to keep up with some of the top programs in the Big Ten. That's a reality Beilein acknowledges as he attempts to remain competitive for top recruits.

"It's an arms race everywhere for people just to keep up with the demands of fans, recruiting and players, and we really are keeping up right now," he said. "We are doing a great job of getting ourselves back at a level playing field."
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Exactly right.
 





Gopher Warrior said:
Evidence?
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Kahler has publicly stated the importance athletics, especially the revenue sports. Unlike some of his predecessors.

Teague has experience raising money for facilities.

What they get done and when, remains to be seen.
 

station19 said:
Kahler has publicly stated the importance athletics, especially the revenue sports. Unlike some of his predecessors.

Teague has experience raising money for facilities.

What they get done and when, remains to be seen.
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http://www.gophersports.com/ot/norwood-teague.html

"Known as a visionary leader on many fronts, Teague initiated an extraordinary campaign in the fall of 2011 to construct a $10 million practice facility – the Franklin Street Gym. Today, the practice facility serves both the men’s and women’s basketball programs at VCU, as well as other sports."

It sounds good... only problem is it's not true.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
http://www.gophersports.com/ot/norwood-teague.html

"Known as a visionary leader on many fronts, Teague initiated an extraordinary campaign in the fall of 2011 to construct a $10 million practice facility – the Franklin Street Gym. Today, the practice facility serves both the men’s and women’s basketball programs at VCU, as well as other sports."

It sounds good... only problem is it's not true.
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So what is it you are trying to say?
 



I don't hate on JB like others do, but I do hate it when he does stuff like that. Just post something and then pop off a one-liner about how it's not right, but then doesn't correct what's actually wrong about it. A little extra hint or something would be nice if you don't wanna "spill the beans" so to speak lol.

I'm guessing Teague didn't initiate this campaign, or the money was already raised prior to this "campaign" or some other technicality that probably really doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.
 

Monty519 said:
I don't hate on JB like others do, but I do hate it when he does stuff like that. Just post something and then pop off a one-liner about how it's not right, but then doesn't correct what's actually wrong about it. A little extra hint or something would be nice if you don't wanna "spill the beans" so to speak lol.

I'm guessing Teague didn't initiate this campaign, or the money was already raised prior to this "campaign" or some other technicality that probably really doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.
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No "technicality". There is nothing to spill the beans about. It's simply false. There is no new practice facility at VCU. There were not $10 million raised in an extraordinary campaign.

Did VCU raise $10 million? No.
Is there a new practice facility? No

I'd say those matter in the grand scheme of things.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
No "technicality". There is nothing to spill the beans about. It's simply false. There is no new practice facility at VCU. There were not $10 million raised in an extraordinary campaign.

Did VCU raise $10 million? No.
Is there a new practice facility? No

I'd say those matter in the grand scheme of things.
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Although it is not a new facility, the Franklin Street Gym was recently renovated and converted into a 24-hour accessible basketball practice facility. I have no idea how much money was actually raised for this project, but it is worth mentioning that VCU does currently have a practice facility and the project was initiated by Teague.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/facilities/franklin
 

It's a Pig Man! said:
Although it is not a new facility, the Franklin Street Gym was recently renovated and converted into a 24-hour accessible basketball practice facility. I have no idea how much money was actually raised for this project, but it is worth mentioning that VCU does currently have a practice facility and the project was initiated by Teague.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/facilities/franklin
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You're talking about something different.

There were updates to the ancient and tattered Franklin Street Gym several YEARS ago.

The school (including Teague) in 2011 expressed a DESIRE to build a new $10 facility and very specifically said that putting a lot of money into the old Franklin Street Gym wouldn't be wise.
 



Gopher Warrior said:
You're talking about something different.

There were updates to the ancient and tattered Franklin Street Gym several YEARS ago.

The school (including Teague) in 2011 expressed a DESIRE to build a new $10 facility and very specifically said that putting a lot of money into the old Franklin Street Gym wouldn't be wise.
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Fair enough, I just thought it was worth mentioning that VCU does indeed have a practice facility (whether its a particularly nice one or not).
 

Gopher Warrior said:
No "technicality". There is nothing to spill the beans about. It's simply false. There is no new practice facility at VCU. There were not $10 million raised in an extraordinary campaign.

Did VCU raise $10 million? No.
Is there a new practice facility? No

I'd say those matter in the grand scheme of things.
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Gotcha, I just hate it when you leave things open sometimes, so I just assumed this was one of those deals lol, my bad man.

On a second note, I agree in that we have no idea whether this current administration really will be an improvement. We really, really want them to be so we cling to every positive note and word said on them, but we don't know. I do though, feel more confident that they are starting to understand that we gotta wake up in regards to our major sports, so hopefully that'll translate.
 


Gopher Warrior said:
It sounds good... only problem is it's not true.
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What is true is he did a fantastic job there.

Look good to me, I wish the Gophers had it right now.

For over 30 years, Franklin Street Gym hosted home events that included volleyball, basketball, swimming and many other functions.

Over 50 years after the building opened its doors, it went under a renovation which allows the men's basketball team to have a 24-hour accessible practice gym that has two full courts, six baskets and plenty of room for individual work.

Renovations included a practice locker room, a refurbished floor, a filming tower and a film session area.



Head Coach Shaka Smart on Franklin Street:

"It's a great facility for our program. We have the ability to practice as a team, do individual workouts or even do some conditioning. It is the perfect size so we all still have that team feel, but with two courts and six baskets, we have plenty of options for practice, player development, drills and scouting. This is a high-quality facility that is a major asset for us."



Senior Joey Rodriguez on FSG:

“It's really a great for our squad. The recent upgrades have made it a really nice practice gym for us and allows us to work on our game constantly. It's something special to be able to have a practice gym and a game gym, it's definitely something that we enjoy having at our exposure."

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http://www.vcuathletics.com/information/directory/bios/Teague_Norwood

Known as a visionary leader on many fronts, Teague initiated an extraordinary campaign in the Fall of 2011 to construct a 10 million dollar practice facility. This will not only serve men’s and women’s basketball, both VCU’s other sports as well.

This facility is part of an ambitious master facility plan that Teague and his senior staff devised in 2011. This plan institutes a facility program to align athletic design and use with new services. Moreover, it establishes priorities for upgrades or options for existing facilities, proposes a strategic plan for renovations and identify where and when further facilities may be needed in the future.

... ...

In addition to the recent projects, Teague has been at the forefront of numerous facility improvements and construction projects during his tenure. Immediately upon his arrival at VCU, Teague launched a Basketball Enhancement Fund project. This first phase included the renovation of the men’s and women’s basketball corridor, as well as significant upgrades to the basketball lounge, locker room and hallway areas, and a state of the art video suite in the lower level of the Siegel Center.This project also included solidifying Franklin Street Gym as a men’s basketball practice facility, followed by significant upgrades.

In 2010, Teague also led the renovation and build out of the east end of the Siegel Center. This vital project provided a state-of-the-art academic advising center, which features 5,000 square feet of study and tutoring areas, a computer lab and offices for advisors. Additionally, it clears space for a practice gymnasium and a strength and conditioning facility that triples the size of VCU’s previous space.
Teague’s construction initiatives extend outside the basketball arena. In August of 2010, VCU will complete a state-of-the-art indoor golf facility at the First Tee Complex, blocks away from the VCU campus. Teague successfully negotiated with the City of Richmond to reserve space for the project, and led efforts to fund the facility 100% through VCU private donors. This indoor golf center will greatly support a VCU golf program that is fast becoming one of national significance.
 

Seems like the right guy for the job. Looking forward to progress on a practice facility, hopefully sooner than later.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2011/aug/25/tdsport01-rams-hope-to-maintain-momentum-with-new--ar-1260678/

Rams hope to maintain momentum with new practice facility

With the Virginia Commonwealth men's basketball team coming off a Final Four appearance, the Rams are trying to capitalize on their momentum.

And a new, privately funded $9 million basketball practice facility for the men's and women's teams would allow them to do just that, VCU athletic director Norwood Teague said.

The proposed location for the new practice facility is on the northwest side of the Siegel Center in the parking lot near the Bowe Street deck.

"It would give us a lot more room," Teague said. "We can add other amenities around it.

"To have something more modern and more useful will be a recruiting tool. The thing we looked at was adding a lot of renovations to Franklin Street gym, but it just doesn't make sense to add all of that to a building that old when you can build a new one for not much more."

The men's team plays its games in the Siegel Center, which opened in 1999. The men practice in the Franklin Street gym, which opened in 1951 and was expanded in 1970, according to the VCU sports information office. Franklin Street's gym area was renovated for about $250,000 in 2006 when then-coach Anthony Grant arrived. Shaka Smart took over in 2009 when Grant left for Alabama.

VCU's women's basketball team plays its games and practices mostly in the Siegel Center, but it occasionally practices in Franklin Street gym.

The VCU board of visitors' finance committee on Wednesday adopted an amendment to include the practice facility in the university's six-year capital plan. It will be presented to the full board for approval today.

Teague said design and fundraising still are in the planning stages. The 22,300-square-foot building would be big enough to accommodate about 1 ½ courts.

"We're bouncing around a lot of options that would go in there," Teague said. "It would be for basketball and the possibility of a training room that would be a sports medicine room."

If the plan is approved, Teague said, VCU probably would begin fundraising in the fall, with construction starting sometime in 2012.

"We're still trying to evaluate how long it would take to build it," he said. "It would at least be a nine-month or maybe more project."

A new area for club seats and suites, which was approved before the Final Four run, is being added to the Siegel Center for this season. That privately funded, $3.4 million project remains on schedule to open for an exhibition game on Nov. 3, Teague said.
 

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