All Things New BBALL Practice Facility

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MadtownGopher

MadtownGopher

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Figured we could just have an ongoing thread about this.

@ameliarayno: #Gophers AD Teague said hoops prac facility could potentially go at Bierman. Still feels hopeful about the fundraising
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I wonder if Teague is thinking about building a practice facility for football closer to TCF and then using the current football space attached to Bierman as the location for the basketball facility.

@ameliarayno: The master planning process for facilities should be totally done by next month or February, Teague said. #Gophers
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@ameliarayno: At this point, no estimate for how much the total project will cost, but Teague thinks the area is fertile ground for fundraising. #Gophers

Go Gophers!!
 


The Bierman Building would mean the Gopher players would have to walk outside in the cold Minnesota winter, something Tubby said last year he wanted to avoid. :)
 

We're the Golden Gophers. We can build tunnels!
 


Unless a big donor steps up with tons of money, this is going to be a looooong thread (i.e., ongoing "updates" for many years before there is a new bball practice facility).
 

Especially if T Denny wants to focus on football (which is fine, it's his money to give away).

I get the vibe this ain't happenin' anytime soon, short of a Final Four run in the next couple years that gets folks to open up their already depleted checkbooks.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Unless a big donor steps up with tons of money, this is going to be a looooong thread (i.e., ongoing "updates" for many years before there is a new bball practice facility).
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Real surprise coming from you.
 

Couple things I like:

1. Teague is a fundraiser...I trust he'll get the money.
2. Not doing what was mistakenly done by previous regime and focusing on one building at a time...instead building a long term plan, long term goals and constant fundraising on all fronts.
3. Focus on making sure all our sports are competitive...maybe Im in the minority, but I like competing in olympic sports.
 



GopherinPhilly said:
Couple things I like:

1. Teague is a fundraiser...I trust he'll get the money.
2. Not doing what was mistakenly done by previous regime and focusing on one building at a time...instead building a long term plan, long term goals and constant fundraising on all fronts.
3. Focus on making sure all our sports are competitive...maybe Im in the minority, but I like competing in olympic sports.
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Help me out here. The only non-olympic sport we compete in that I can think of is football. But I do agree, I like all our sports to be competitive.
 

Sparlimb said:
Help me out here. The only non-olympic sport we compete in that I can think of is football. But I do agree, I like all our sports to be competitive.
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I was starting to think they dropped men's basketball and men's hockey from the Olympics.

We also went from 'Outstate Minnesota' to 'Greater Minnesota'. Does that make the Metro Area 'Lesser Minnesota'?
 

Sparlimb said:
Help me out here. The only non-olympic sport we compete in that I can think of is football. But I do agree, I like all our sports to be competitive.
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Baseball...
 

SelectionSunday said:
Especially if T Denny wants to focus on football (which is fine, it's his money to give away).

I get the vibe this ain't happenin' anytime soon, short of a Final Four run in the next couple years that gets folks to open up their already depleted checkbooks.
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Maybe the new arena in Sioux Falls will come in under budget and he'll get the itch. Come on Denny, you know you want your name on one more thing.
 



howeda7 said:
Maybe the new arena in Sioux Falls will come in under budget and he'll get the itch. Come on Denny, you know you want your name on one more thing.
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Be careful with that one.:)
 

per Sid:

New thinking at U

All the talk about adding athletic facilities at the University of Minnesota has usually focused on putting those facilities around the TCF Bank Stadium-Williams Arena-Mariucci Arena area.

But Norwood Teague, the Gophers athletic director, and his new staff have different ideas. They would like to see everything built around the Bierman Building, including the basketball offices and any new basketball practice facility. The Gibson-Nagurski football building will be enlarged and remodeled, a new track will be built, among other things, if everything eventually gets approved. This is a change in thinking, but likely the way they will go.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/Sids_Scoops.html

Go Gophers!!
 


I hate to say it but Maturi's idea of the old field house site is much better for a basketball practice facility, I hope something else doesn't have it's claws on that site preventing the practice facility from going there.
 


Can't women's gymnastics practice in the boat house?
 

Amelia Rayno: U's facilities quest still in its infancy

"People on the outside might not think it's a big deal, but here at the U, it's a really big deal," Gophers guard Joe Coleman said. "There's a lot of times in the summer that we can't even get in our own gym. It's just really hectic because it gets so busy in here. And even if you want to go to Bierman, which people think we can go to -- that's football in there in the summertime, so it's pretty tough."

Tough enough that if it hadn't been his home-state school, Coleman might have reconsidered signing with Minnesota, he said. The Hopkins High School alum remembers visiting Iowa State, another school that offered him a scholarship, and being impressed by the facilities available to Cyclones players. Now at Minnesota, he figures he will have better luck elsewhere.

"I kind of gave up trying to work out here in the summertime, so I would go over to Life Time [Fitness] with my brother and just work out there," Coleman said. "You might end up getting here, see the gym is open and then 20 minutes later, you're getting kicked off. ... Personally being from here, I figured I could somehow get a gym, but outside guys, it might be a big deal for them."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&refer=y

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Amelia Rayno: U's facilities quest still in its infancy

"People on the outside might not think it's a big deal, but here at the U, it's a really big deal," Gophers guard Joe Coleman said. "There's a lot of times in the summer that we can't even get in our own gym. It's just really hectic because it gets so busy in here. And even if you want to go to Bierman, which people think we can go to -- that's football in there in the summertime, so it's pretty tough."

Tough enough that if it hadn't been his home-state school, Coleman might have reconsidered signing with Minnesota, he said. The Hopkins High School alum remembers visiting Iowa State, another school that offered him a scholarship, and being impressed by the facilities available to Cyclones players. Now at Minnesota, he figures he will have better luck elsewhere.

"I kind of gave up trying to work out here in the summertime, so I would go over to Life Time [Fitness] with my brother and just work out there," Coleman said. "You might end up getting here, see the gym is open and then 20 minutes later, you're getting kicked off. ... Personally being from here, I figured I could somehow get a gym, but outside guys, it might be a big deal for them."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&refer=y

Go Gophers!!
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Maybe the ping pong team can go practice at lifetime fitness? How many athletic spaces are on campus, and yet we're kicking players out of Williams?
 

Among the BCS schools, I can't think of an institution that's been more incompetent than Minnesota when it comes to the business of athletics, were at the point where the only way a practice facility is going to give us a leg up, it would have to be embarrassingly over the top in luxuries like having a flat screen in every bathroom stall so you can watch Stephen A Smith have a stroke while you're on the crapper. Oh and have whirl pool filled with chocolate pudding and a hot tub with KFC gravy!
 

Years ago many of the players used to run on the outdoor court next door to Aveda during the summers. Great games, great runs, fun to play in. But coaches -- Monson, I believe. -- got pissed at a couple players when they got involved with a couple Aveda girls that caused some locker room drama between players. Oops.

Arena Club was another popular spot as well, that too was years ago.
 

I know Souhan loves to make fun of Tubby for complaining about the lack of a practice facility, but as much as Souhan likes to act like it isn't a big deal, it is. The fact that players can't always find an easy place to shoot around is absolutely ridiculous. I'm sure recruits love that.
 

the fact that joe colemen works out at planet fitness over the summer speaks volumes to his style of play..... *rimshot!
 

Reading Rand's list of facility needs really is pathetic that Maturi let our facilities lag behind so dramatically. Good grief we've got an uphill battle.

That being said, it appears as if we're no further today than we were when Tubby got here with our practice facility. Teague needs to start demonstrating real progress and not words and feasibility studies.
 

bemidjigopher said:
Among the BCS schools, I can't think of an institution that's been more incompetent than Minnesota when it comes to the business of athletics, were at the point where the only way a practice facility is going to give us a leg up, it would have to be embarrassingly over the top in luxuries like having a flat screen in every bathroom stall so you can watch Stephen A Smith have a stroke while you're on the crapper. Oh and have whirl pool filled with chocolate pudding and a hot tub with KFC gravy!
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and now we see what the players really want-- thanks for the input Mo.
 

El Amin Fan said:
Reading Rand's list of facility needs really is pathetic that Maturi let our facilities lag behind so dramatically. Good grief we've got an uphill battle.

That being said, it appears as if we're no further today than we were when Tubby got here with our practice facility. Teague needs to start demonstrating real progress and not words and feasibility studies.
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It's like anything - once you let yourself get behind, it's a heck of a deal to try and just get caught up.

When you consider the facilities disadvantage, you have to give Tubby credit for recruiting the caliber of athletes he's been able to bring in here. Like the article said, if I were a big time baller, I'd probably turn my nose up at the U when I visited the campus and saw the sad facility situation.

This is a big deal, not just with recruiting but with player development as well. My sister developed herself into an all-conference high school player by practically living in the high school gym on evenings and weekends. Fortunately for her, she had access enough of the time. My daughter on the other hand - she was not one of these year-round players; she was just playing middle school ball for fun. But she did want to work on her game when she had the chance. Problem was, the school would not let her or anyone else into the gym because, they said, of liability concerns. So she and I would work on some things at the community center, but that wasn't nearly the time she needed. I believe that unstructured gym time is one of the key factors in players' development.

On a related subject, I talked to someone who knows someone who knows someone, and the athletic department is looking conceptually at what to do with Williams Arena. I imagine it's in the context of the master facility planning, but they are making ultimate plans for what to do with the Barn. Based on what I heard, the option they're favoring is a Northrop-style gutting of the building, retaining the outer walls. As we've discussed here before, the north wall's proximity to the street would be an issue under that scenario. I suspect they'd have to retain that one as an outside wall and convert the current south exterior wall to an interior wall. Should be interesting to see how that concept survives feasibility study and the like and whether it eventually becomes publicly discussed.
 

BleedGopher said:
Amelia Rayno: U's facilities quest still in its infancy

"People on the outside might not think it's a big deal, but here at the U, it's a really big deal," Gophers guard Joe Coleman said. "There's a lot of times in the summer that we can't even get in our own gym. It's just really hectic because it gets so busy in here. And even if you want to go to Bierman, which people think we can go to -- that's football in there in the summertime, so it's pretty tough."

Tough enough that if it hadn't been his home-state school, Coleman might have reconsidered signing with Minnesota, he said. The Hopkins High School alum remembers visiting Iowa State, another school that offered him a scholarship, and being impressed by the facilities available to Cyclones players. Now at Minnesota, he figures he will have better luck elsewhere.

"I kind of gave up trying to work out here in the summertime, so I would go over to Life Time [Fitness] with my brother and just work out there," Coleman said. "You might end up getting here, see the gym is open and then 20 minutes later, you're getting kicked off. ... Personally being from here, I figured I could somehow get a gym, but outside guys, it might be a big deal for them."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&refer=y

Go Gophers!!
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When you have a local athlete who actually on the team practically telling you he'd prefer to be somewhere else cause of this issue, how can you tell me this isn't a vital piece to allowing this program to compete. People rail on guys who don't improve as quickly as they would like and stuff like that, but when you don't have the resources on your own campus to work on your individual game anytime you want, how are you supposed to invest as much time as you'd like to improving yourself? And yet, people have the expectation that Tubby is going to just load up on recruits when even schools like Iowa State can just point and say "Hey, here's your court, you can play whenever you want to, 24/7".

Tubby or no Tubby, this needs to happen, and soon, no question about it. People can act like they're just excuses for not doing better, but c'mon now, how can you sit there with a straight face and tell a kid you've got all they need to ball out here, when virtually every other school they'll visit actually shows them they have all they need to ball and improve anytime.
 

Monty519 said:
When you have a local athlete who actually on the team practically telling you he'd prefer to be somewhere else cause of this issue, how can you tell me this isn't a vital piece to allowing this program to compete. People rail on guys who don't improve as quickly as they would like and stuff like that, but when you don't have the resources on your own campus to work on your individual game anytime you want, how are you supposed to invest as much time as you'd like to improving yourself? And yet, people have the expectation that Tubby is going to just load up on recruits when even schools like Iowa State can just point and say "Hey, here's your court, you can play whenever you want to, 24/7".

Tubby or no Tubby, this needs to happen, and soon, no question about it. People can act like they're just excuses for not doing better, but c'mon now, how can you sit there with a straight face and tell a kid you've got all they need to ball out here, when virtually every other school they'll visit actually shows them they have all they need to ball and improve anytime.
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+1

Really not a difficult concept at all. A practice facility is an absolute must.
 

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