Practice facility close to go-ahead – Ole Miss
OXFORD – That vacant lot across from the Gillom Center on the Ole Miss campus could be getting a lot of activity soon.
The university will receive bids today for its basketball practice facility.
Contractors will provide estimates for which they can build the gym, which will be shared by the men’s and women’s teams with two full-size courts in addition to locker areas and other amenities.
If there are no surprises, athletics director Pete Boone expects to break ground soon.
“Assuming everything goes OK with the bids and the amounts are reasonable, we figure two weeks to set up the site and get started,” he said.
The goal is to have the facility in use for the fall of 2009. Boone said he hopes to complete the project at a cost of $12 million, all of it raised through private donations.
The Tad Smith Coliseum floor is presently the only floor that the men’s and women’s teams have complete access to.
Scheduling has long been a burden as they try to time practices around each other as well as players’ classes.
Both teams have had to practice off campus at times, usually at Oxford High School.
djournal.com
6/19/08
