Yes there was private money but the last couple of years the university has been in an environment not to agree on principal to anything new.

On a side note while Grosvenor is receiving funds per The Post interest in repurposing to a dorm looks dead when its already filled up with administrative usage.

This leaves to be built at this point from the 2016 OU Master Plan; new pool/ice rink at Ping, OU Inn conference center annex, basketball practice facility all of which are not in a planning stage. OU Inn I believe is managed by the OU foundation and they could possibly use foundation money to kick start a public/private partnership for a new hotel and further redevelopment of the ridges.

In all seriousness, I was told there is a very strong prospect for Convo naming rights. Columbus based company.

Some I know on principal don't want to spend dime more on themselves or anything else than what they are forced to do.

Personally I believe there is something to be said for taking things to the highest level that you reasonably can. Have your own cruise boat or acreage for horses if that adds a level to your lifestyle in of itself has some merit. Alternatively, one could live their entire life in an efficiency apartment without a car and a diet of ramen on principal to not spend an additional dollar.

Those who don't want a nice practice facility worked into The Convo as a recruiting chip and prefer that the university does nothing at all is assuring nothing is going to change.

I think a Basketball Practice Facility is a good idea.

However, its going to be tough to put anywhere near the Convo.

The whole area is a 100 year Flood Zone.

Google "am I in a flood zone" and enter "convocation center athens ohio " and
you'll see the problem.

Whether you want to question the validity or practicality of Flood Zones doesn't matter.

The Flood Zones are established by FEMA.
They alone make that determination.

If a property is in a Flood Zone, you have to follow Federal and State Regulations.

I can't speak for Ohio, but in New Jersey that means any structure must be
elevated 1' above the 100 year flood elevation.

There are also restrictions on placement of fill (zero net fill) as well as extensive "containment" of runoff to prevent any "downstream impact".

Punch Card Park looks like it is in a 100 year flood zone too.

But there's a lot more open area there to fit in a Practice Facility and comply with all Environmental Regulations.

Correct on all accounts. But what is missing here is our 100 year flood zone does not account for the re-routing of the river. And FEMA has refused any rezone to account for the river.

Its my belief the athletic department and school largely goes as its leadership goes. McDavis had a vision for a larger campus footprint and that is what ended up in the master plan. Schaus did a lot for the athletic department.

Sherman seems like he's serious about moving the university forward. Julie seems like she might be a Kirbty Hocutt, young riser who is going to move on after a few years particularly since athletics has peaked. Peaked but operating at a high mid major level unlike the Ping days where it was an OVC level department.

When the academic center was built I was told by the foundation it might be the last athletic building to go up in Athens for a long time. But there is different AD in place who probably wants to get at least one facility project in as part of her legacy.

I completely agree! Many on this site think if we just spend more money on coaches, facilities, etc. then we elevate the program. We have the best facilities in the MAC and are competitive most years. I'm happy with that.

We have the biggest facility in the MAC, we do not have the "best" facility. The old lady showing age and still needs a lot of work. Has very few amenities. I am with Jeff, there are definitely better places.

What amenities are you looking for that we don't have?

When Ohio launched the fundraising campaign for its IPF, in conversing with Jim Schaus, I expressed my dubiousness about an IPF's serving to strength recruiting. Dubiousness aside, I donated.

I remain dubious. I'm now thinking of Kent State. It just might have been first in the MAC to construct such a facility. I know it was in place in 1995 when I took on the presidency of the Akron-Canton Alumni Chapter. Indeed I visited it several times because a contact for scheduling Ohio alumni events at Kent had an office there. I also attended a MAC indoor track championship held there. Today there is scant evidence that that facility has strengthened Kent's recruiting. Some folks might disagree, positing that Kent's recruiting might have been worse without it. Perhaps.

Then there is Akron with its much newer and spiffier IPF. How has it affected recruiting? Without it could Akron's recruiting have been weaker?

Now my thinking is turning to some big time basketball programs which compete nicely with arenas that are but shadows compared to Ohio's Convocation Center. I am thinking Duke, Vandy and Stanford among others. In the MAC, Kent and Akron compete nicely with arenas that to me are glorified high school gyms.

So the "arms race" continues and some on this board are making the case for a basketball practice facility. Yes, I am dubious that it would strengthen recruiting - or team performance. In earlier fundraising campaigns for Ohio's IPF and the end zone academic center, I donated. If such a campaign is mounted for a basketball practice facility, I think I will abstain from donating.

BTW, going back 40+ years, one of my favorite Ohio University Foundation giving categories is Buildings & Grounds, sometimes called Campus Beautification. I do believe that campus beauty strengthens recruiting of students, if not student-athletes.

A practice gym might not improve recruiting, but it would make life a lot easier on the coaches and I think it would help with competitiveness.

I think we should have a practice facility because
1. Allows an area for basketball to practice IF there is a scheduling conflict with volleyball / graduation / student fairs etc.
2. Allow for us to show off our basketball achievements and traditions, and maybe even highlight past players of our program. Maybe even give a motivation factor for players to see the trophies / older banners coming into practice everyday.