MURRAY, Ky. (AP) -- On the heels of making the NCAA tournament, Murray State University is set to open a new, $4 million basketball-only facility in January.
The new, 20,000-square-foot building will include a basketball court, coaching offices, lobby space and a hall of fame.
Athletic Director Allen Ward told The Paducah Sun the building will "take the program to another level" by giving men's and women's basketball players continuous access to training equipment.
The university collaborated with Community Financial Services Bank and many private donors to pull together enough money to finish an attached hall of fame space with the practice building.
Ward said naming rights played a pivotal role in securing the final amount from the initial budget of $3.3 million. The university has not released who purchased the naming rights.
A side benefit to the new facility, Ward said, will be the relocation of the basketball staff from their current location under the football stadium. Recruits will have a better impression when they view head coach Steve Prohm's office at the improved building, Ward said.
Ward gave MSU President Randy Dunn much of the credit for making the building a reality.
"He's a phenomenal leader who appreciates the role that athletics can play in telling a university's story," he said.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
