And speaking of new sports venues, here's one that's a way long time in coming.
Rice announced Tuesday a $7 million gift from [Bobby] Tudor, a 1982 Rice graduate, and his wife, Phoebe, that will jump-start a $23 million, 18-month renovation of 57-year-old Autry Court.[...]
Under a tentative plan, Autry Court will be gutted this summer, with its infrastructure undergoing a redesign. The renovation will include upgrades specific to basketball and volleyball as well as updated amenities, new locker rooms and offices, and a student-athlete academic center. The facility will serve as a student service center and also as a fan-friendly environment for those patronizing athletic events.
Attracting the community beyond Rice's hedges and creating an economic stream out of Autry Court is part of the business model of Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte who, following his hiring last June, targeted Autry as a facility in need of an overhaul.
With the opening of Reckling Park in 2000 and last summer's renovations at Rice Stadium, Autry moved to the front of the line.
[...]
The student-athletes Rice targets opt for the superior facilities at Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Northwestern, and that has hamstrung the development of the basketball programs.
Because Rice has been unable to generate significant revenue from men's basketball, the football program shouldered a disproportionate burden to supplement the department.
Del Conte believes a renovated Autry Court finally will put Rice on par with its peers.
"With a facility that is completely updated, we're going to get a better student-athlete to come here," Del Conte said.
- This will perhaps settle once and for all the questions about Willis Wilson as Rice's basketball coach. Basically, there are two factions: the "Wilson does the best anyone could possibly do given the crappy facilities he has to contend with" camp, and the "Wilson has never truly maximized the talent that he has brought in and it's time to find someone who can" camp. Finally getting a venue worthy of intercollegiate sports (forget Division I - the gym we had at Div III Trinity back in the day was better than Autry) should bring about a resolution to that argument one way or another.
- A more solvent basketball program means less pressure on the football team to play so-called "body bag" games for big paydays. Rice will also be in a better position to lure topflight opponents to Houston for basketball, as their home court will not be considered a joke any more.
- They probably could make some money auctioning off pieces of the infamous Blue Curtain of Doom (BCOD). Somebody needs to think outside the box here.
I can't wait to see what they come up with. Thank you, Bobby Tudor!
Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 08, 2007 to Other sports