Georgia Southern Completes First Phase of Hanner Fieldhouse Renovations
9/18/2019 11:43:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The back gym has been converted to a basketball-only practice facility.
STATESBORO – Georgia Southern has completed the first phase of the Hanner Fieldhouse renovations, providing a stand-alone practice facility for the men's and women's basketball programs.
The school converted the gym in the back of Hanner Fieldhouse into a basketball-only practice facility. The old floor was replaced with a three-quarter-inch wood regulation playing surface, which was painted and lined to replicate the same surface the Eagles play on in the main Hanner arena.
New lighting, which also imitates the lighting in the main arena, was installed along with a scoreboard, clocks and shot clocks. The side goals have regulation 3-point lines for shooting practice, and decorative wall wraps were added to brand the facility and basketball programs.
"This practice facility is part of Phase 1 of a renovation of Hanner," said Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein. "This gym will benefit both our men's and women's basketball programs as they both now have a practice facility in addition to the Hanner main arena to improve their individual skills, and scheduling practices should be much easier with this new space. I'm looking forward to rest of this project as we look to enhance Hanner for all of the teams that utilize it for competition."
With both basketball teams, the volleyball program, cheerleaders and physical education classes all in a need of space, scheduling was extremely difficult for all entities.
"Hanner Fieldhouse was the only college regulation basketball court we had on the Statesboro campus and the only one within 40 miles of campus and sharing it with the volleyball team and women's basketball team along with balancing our student-athletes' schedules for class, tutors and weight room availability was a huge challenge," said men's coach Mark Byington. "The facility also hosts a number of University functions, which forced us to find new locations to train our teams. Most of the schools in the Sun Belt have a practice facility that they have 24-hour access to, which helps alleviate these issues, so having our own practice facility that is regulation and safe to train will help put us on equal footing."
First-year women's basketball coach Anita Howard is new to the specific challenges at Georgia Southern but not to the space-utilization and scheduling challenges common on most college campuses. She believes the project demonstrates Georgia Southern's commitment to its basketball programs.
"The renovation of the basketball courts in our practice facility is a major improvement for the basketball program as a whole," she said. "As coaches, we are tasked with preparing student-athletes for peak performance during competition. The practice facility is a space that is readily available for us whenever we need it. The courts being a replica of the main courts we use for actual games is a major bonus. It's a subliminal advantage for our student-athletes. Furthermore, it demonstrates to current student-athletes and recruits that Georgia Southern is invested in the program."
The three-phase project will include a stand-alone practice gym for the volleyball program, a component of Phase 2, which is set to begin in January after the new Applied Kinesiology Laboratories are complete. Phase 3 features improvements to the front lobby and lower level of the Hanner Fieldhouse main arena to improve fan amenities and game-day hospitality as well as the construction of a new athletics Hall of Fame. That project will begin as soon as fundraising is completed.
The renovations are part of a $5-million campaign, and the first phase was launched thanks to a lead gift made by Lynn and E.G. Meybohm of Augusta, Georgia. If you are interested in contributing to the fundraising efforts for the project or have questions regarding the Hanner campaign, please contact Sally Scott, Associate Director of the Athletic Foundation, at (912) 601-4029 or swscott@georgiasouthern.edu.
About the Hanner Fieldhouse
The W.S. Hanner Fieldhouse, located on Statesboro's campus, is a shared facility between athletics and university programming. It is home to men's and women's basketball and volleyball. In addition, health, physical education and professional studies utilize Hanner for classroom space and the Biodynamics and Human Performance Center, which includes the Biomechanics, Muscle Performance Exercise Physiology Laboratories.
The school converted the gym in the back of Hanner Fieldhouse into a basketball-only practice facility. The old floor was replaced with a three-quarter-inch wood regulation playing surface, which was painted and lined to replicate the same surface the Eagles play on in the main Hanner arena.
New lighting, which also imitates the lighting in the main arena, was installed along with a scoreboard, clocks and shot clocks. The side goals have regulation 3-point lines for shooting practice, and decorative wall wraps were added to brand the facility and basketball programs.
"This practice facility is part of Phase 1 of a renovation of Hanner," said Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein. "This gym will benefit both our men's and women's basketball programs as they both now have a practice facility in addition to the Hanner main arena to improve their individual skills, and scheduling practices should be much easier with this new space. I'm looking forward to rest of this project as we look to enhance Hanner for all of the teams that utilize it for competition."
With both basketball teams, the volleyball program, cheerleaders and physical education classes all in a need of space, scheduling was extremely difficult for all entities.
"Hanner Fieldhouse was the only college regulation basketball court we had on the Statesboro campus and the only one within 40 miles of campus and sharing it with the volleyball team and women's basketball team along with balancing our student-athletes' schedules for class, tutors and weight room availability was a huge challenge," said men's coach Mark Byington. "The facility also hosts a number of University functions, which forced us to find new locations to train our teams. Most of the schools in the Sun Belt have a practice facility that they have 24-hour access to, which helps alleviate these issues, so having our own practice facility that is regulation and safe to train will help put us on equal footing."
First-year women's basketball coach Anita Howard is new to the specific challenges at Georgia Southern but not to the space-utilization and scheduling challenges common on most college campuses. She believes the project demonstrates Georgia Southern's commitment to its basketball programs.
"The renovation of the basketball courts in our practice facility is a major improvement for the basketball program as a whole," she said. "As coaches, we are tasked with preparing student-athletes for peak performance during competition. The practice facility is a space that is readily available for us whenever we need it. The courts being a replica of the main courts we use for actual games is a major bonus. It's a subliminal advantage for our student-athletes. Furthermore, it demonstrates to current student-athletes and recruits that Georgia Southern is invested in the program."
The three-phase project will include a stand-alone practice gym for the volleyball program, a component of Phase 2, which is set to begin in January after the new Applied Kinesiology Laboratories are complete. Phase 3 features improvements to the front lobby and lower level of the Hanner Fieldhouse main arena to improve fan amenities and game-day hospitality as well as the construction of a new athletics Hall of Fame. That project will begin as soon as fundraising is completed.
The renovations are part of a $5-million campaign, and the first phase was launched thanks to a lead gift made by Lynn and E.G. Meybohm of Augusta, Georgia. If you are interested in contributing to the fundraising efforts for the project or have questions regarding the Hanner campaign, please contact Sally Scott, Associate Director of the Athletic Foundation, at (912) 601-4029 or swscott@georgiasouthern.edu.
About the Hanner Fieldhouse
The W.S. Hanner Fieldhouse, located on Statesboro's campus, is a shared facility between athletics and university programming. It is home to men's and women's basketball and volleyball. In addition, health, physical education and professional studies utilize Hanner for classroom space and the Biodynamics and Human Performance Center, which includes the Biomechanics, Muscle Performance Exercise Physiology Laboratories.
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