Kentucky has always been on top of the game when it comes to athletic facilities, especially pertaining to men’s basketball.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the athletic department, now under the umbrella of non-profit Champions Blue LLC, approved the first step toward the first stage of a sports medicine facility that would also feature a practice facility for the men’s basketball team.
The design phase of the project, which is likely to cost approximately $1 million, would still need to be approved by the school’s board of trustees. The initial step has already cleared the first hurdle, which means plans for a new men’s basketball practice facility is beyond the brainstorming phase.
Those who have been charged with overseeing the athletics program, mainly the men’s basketball team throughout the history of time, have always dreamed big when it comes to staying ahead with the changing times.
It all began when historic Memorial Coliseum — The House that Rupp Built — served as home to the Wildcats from 1950-1976. The coliseum was constructed in honor of those lost in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. When it opened in 1950, the arena had a capacity of 12,000 and was one of the largest venues in the nation.
Over time, the “House that Rupp Built” wasn’t enough to accommodate the team’s fan base, and a move to 24,000-seat Rupp Arena in 1976 began a new era for the men’s basketball team and other programs across the nation. Many top programs followed Kentucky’s lead and began building larger arenas of their own to keep up with the Wildcats.
Late coach Joe B. Hall was even innovative and added the team’s own living quarters — Wildcat Lodge. The team now resides in Wildcat Lodge, which is adjacent to Memorial Coliseum, where the dream big ideas began more than seven decades ago.
Memorial Coliseum remained a practice facility for the Wildcats until the Joe Craft Center opened in 2007. The modern facility provided an immediate need for a more adequate practice facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams
It’s hard to believe the Craft Center is nearly 20 years old and remains in good shape for its age. However, the time has come to think ahead toward the future, just as the school did when Rupp Arena was built to replace an outdated Memorial Coliseum.
While thinking ahead, Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart has preserved the past with the recent renovation of Historic Memorial Coliseum, which serves as home to the women’s basketball and volleyball teams.
The venue combines the old with the new and gives the arena an updated facelift, especially within the interior of the structure.
In order for Kentucky to remain among the elite programs in the nation, facility upgrades are needed periodically. A new men’s basketball practice facility within the next couple of years will keep the Wildcats ahead of the competition.
