Indiana University Athletics
Men's Basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson Quotes
9/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 20, 2006
Men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson
On how important the new facility is to the program:
"I think that it's the key. We're in 2006, and I was telling people earlier, the kids we're recruiting today were born in 1990. It's time. The tradition and the history of basketball at this university will always be there. Tradition never goes anywhere. But the facilities can be upgraded. How many major colleges share one court? While Coach Jack's team is on the court, we could be on the practice court working or vice versa. Right now there just aren't any opportunities."
On the importance of the facility upgrades as a whole:
"It's not just the court, it's the weight room. We share a weight room with 18 other sports. It's what's happening around the country - I came from the Big 12 and every school in the Big 12 has a practice facility now. It's just something that we need, and it's not just basketball. Our football program's facilities are in dire need to be upgraded. And maybe the most important thing in the big picture is the academic center, not space that's been made, but space that's been built for the long term. That's a critical part of an athletic program is academic support."
On when he would like the project to get started:
"There's state law and protocol, but the big thing is this meeting today. If you go under the assumption that things go well and this is supported, you'd like to get construction going as soon as possible."
On the specifics of the facility:
"We built a practice facility at Oklahoma, so I've seen that happen. We had an unbelievable practice court - men's and women's - coaches' offices, locker rooms, weight rooms. In this area, there will be two things that will be shared - you don't need two weight rooms and you don't need two training rooms. Women's basketball needs a film room, so do the men. We need locker rooms and a players' lounge. There are so many ideas that have come up since Oklahoma built theirs. This is 2006, so there's a lot of new ideas. The cutting edge is a fluid term, it's always changing, and this is an opportunity for us. We have a chance to set a standard in the United States on what this facility can look like."
On why the new facility is important to recruits:
"The thing about a basketball player is he wants to be able to play basketball. He wants to have access to a facility whenever he would like to, 24/7, 365 days a year. This isn't just for the men, it's for the women. Felisha Legette-Jack needs this. It's important for our women's program as they move forward. Right now we share one court, and our locker rooms are the same that we had in the 1970s. A practice court is not where you practice - we'll practice where we play - it really should be called a player development center where kids have access to that gym to go work on their games. When a kid gets out of class at 2:00 and the rules allow it, you want to grab him and go practice - especially freshmen - and go teach him stuff. A great way to mentor kids is in the gym, but right now we have one court that we can share."
