Facilities make a difference.
The grand opening of the LSU basketball practice facility Thursday accentuated this notion, as the cutting-edge facility was finally unveiled after more than two years of construction.
The groundbreaking for the $14 million facility took place July 1, 2008, and it encompasses 58,960 square feet. It is equipped with two new practice gyms — one for the men’s team and one for the women’s team — each spanning 11,324 square feet with two portable goals and four overhead retractable goals.
Former LSU basketball player Durand “Rudy” Macklin was awestruck by the facility. He said having a state-of-the-art place to play is a fabulous incentive for the basketball teams to perform well.
“Oh my goodness, I’d probably have trouble going to class,” said Macklin, who played at LSU from 1976 to 1981. “It’s overwhelming. Now the pressure goes up a notch.”
LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor called the facility “a gift sent from heaven,” in that it enables the team to arrange practice without worrying about when the men’s team wants to practice.
“It’s not anything but a great advantage and a tremendous addition to the Lady Tiger program,” Chancellor said. “Let me give you an example of how valuable it is — [junior guard] Destini Hughes is a pre-veterinary [major]. We’ve been practicing from 12:30 to 2:45 every day, but she has to take a class until 1:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Now we can practice at 2 without having a major problem.”
Other features include a men’s locker room, coaches’ locker room, team lounge and training room, and the lobby showcases team graphics and trophy cases.
On the second level of the facility, a pre-function room connects to the PMAC concourse.
LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson said the new facility and amenities are huge benefits to the program.
“I speak from the players’ perspective that it gives us an opportunity to compete with the best,” Johnson said. “We’re going to make sure we do our best to be worthy to be in this facility. The bottom line is the work you put in. It’s all about substance.”
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected].