The Univ. of Washington has "received approval" from the school's BOR to build a $60.5M project "highlighted by a long-awaited basketball-only training facility," according to Percy Allen of the SEATTLE TIMES. The 60,000-70,000-square-foot Basketball Training & Operations Facility will be "built adjacent to Alaska Airlines Arena on the site of the Hec Edmundson Pavilion Pool." The basketball training facility will "feature state-of-the-art practice courts, locker rooms, recruiting/player lounges, film rooms and a redesigned entrance celebrating" the men's and women's basketball programs. UW also is "renovating the Health & High Performance Center, a 14,000 square foot weight room." Construction is "set to begin" in '21 and be completed in '23. The project will be "funded entirely by donations to the UW athletic department." UW AD Jennifer Cohen said that the school has received $53M in "private donations." Allen notes UW "becomes the seventh Pac-12 school to build a training facility dedicated towards the basketball programs in the past 11 years" (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/14). THE ATHLETIC's Christian Caple noted the "long-awaited project is a signal that the athletic department’s budget is reaching a point of stability, and represents significant, sight-unseen investment from some of the school’s biggest donors" (THEATHLETIC.com, 2/13).
