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The groundbreaking ceremony for the new basketball practice facility for the Oregon St. Men's and Women's basketball programs will be at 4 PM on Thursday, June 21. The building will be located directly west of Gill Coliseum, and adjacent to the Sport Performance Center, and overlook the football practice fields currently being prepared for the installation of a new field turf surface. The space is a parking lot at the moment, but there's a webcam that's great for monitoring the progress.
Oregon St. President Dr. Edward Ray, Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis, men's basketball head coach Craig Robinson, and women's basketball head coach Scott Rueck are scheduled to participate in the groundbreaking celebration.
"I'm extremely excited about the groundbreaking for the practice facility," Robinson said. "This is so very important to our program and future. It puts us on similar footing with our competition from a marketing and recruiting standpoint. In addition, this will go a long way to alleviating logistical issues that negatively affect our student-athletes. I'd like to thank all of our donors, fans and athletic department staff who made this groundbreaking possible."
The facility will be a 34,500-square-foot, four-story structure, and will feature 2 regulation basketball courts on the first and third floors, along with locker rooms, satellite training and medical areas, and service and mechanical space.
The second and fourth floors will include coach and program staff offices that offer panoramic views of the basketball courts."We are so grateful for the support and generosity of so many to make this dream become a reality," Rueck said. "This is a great day for Beaver basketball, and most importantly our current and future student-athletes, as we take this vital step forward. The practice facility will create an incredible teaching environment, and will greatly enhance our ability to serve our student-athletes as they strive to reach their potential individually and as a team. What a blessing it is to be a part of a community with so many generous advocates who have made this groundbreaking possible."
The new facility is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2013.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com