The Univ. of Utah's new Jon M. & Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility, a $36M complex "designed to house the men's and women's teams for the next several generations, is sleek, technologically connected and awe-striking in scope," according to Kyle Goon of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. But it also was built with "a striking reverence for history." All-Americans "hang from the ceilings," while signed NBA jerseys of "Ute stars past and present are mounted on the wall." Most who saw the facility for the first time Thursday "came away agreeing that Huntsman had followed through with his vision: to make it one of the best in America." Although the ribbon "is cut, the project is not yet finished." Utah AD Chris Hill acknowledged that they "had finished after planned (August) and slightly over budget after he pushed for some tweaks." Goon notes the 101,000-square-foot facility includes two 12,000-square-foot practice gyms "with cameras for film study and viewing balconies," men’s and women’s lounges, locker and film rooms, hot and cold tubs, coaches offices with balconies, and conference rooms and private areas for head coaches (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 10/2). In Utah, Mike Sorensen writes the new facility "is a sight to behold with glass windows overlooking the Salt Lake Valley and everything a college basketball program would ever need on the inside." Jon Huntsman said, "We went out and looked at some of the best and newest basketball facilities in the United States and we said, ‘Let’s make ours is number one, let’s leave no stone unturned'" (DESERET NEWS, 10/2). The AP's Kareem Copeland noted the building -- with a "yoga room, rooftop terrace, a nutrition center and underground tunnels to the arena" among its features -- "is expected to immediately impact recruiting" (AP, 10/1).
