I like the optimism, and I hope this happens... but I can't help but feel he's aiming a little high here. $190M is a lot of money. Why can't we just start with the basketball facility and go from there? Trying to roll most of it into one building... I get that it probably makes things cheaper than building things piecemeal, but it also makes it a lot harder to get things underway.
All Things New BBALL Practice Facility
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howieramone
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Pretty much my feelings also. IMO an all sports facility was saleable, one predominately for football and basketball wasn't. You take what you can get.
AO54
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saleable to who? The donors are interested in the basketball facility. They're not donating an extra $100 million for a gymnastics facility, etc..
With that kind of a price tag I don't see how they do not go to the legislature, my guess is that is why gymnastics etc. were included.
Is he going to try and do it like TCF was built, about 50/50 with state funds and university/donations, I know the article stated no state funds, I don't see it happening without it.
howieramone
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Unless Teague has some really big money lined up - I think this "something for everybody all in one plan" idea is not a good one. This is where the U has historically screwed up. They take an egalitarian approach to sports funding regardless of whether the sport brings in revenue. Get successful in football and basketball and then take care of the non-revenue sports. I'm disappointed in this plan.
We need a basketball practice facility within 2 years- not 6.
matt
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This is a good plan and I like it. You can convince people over a long amount of time to donate to a single $190 million project that will primarily benefit football and basketball. If the fundraising was done piecemeal though, you would be going back to donors for every single building asking for a basketball practice facility, then a football practice facility, then Olympic sport facilities, then new offices...
You can convince people to support a project that will benefit football and basketball the most, but it would be damn hard to privately raise funds for a $10+ million dollar Olympic sport practice facility.
You can convince people to support a project that will benefit football and basketball the most, but it would be damn hard to privately raise funds for a $10+ million dollar Olympic sport practice facility.
Winasota Gopher
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Didn't he say we hope to have "all of it done in 8 years"? Can you read into that as some of it could be done before that?
You could read that into it. The problem is that a plan like this is designed to make economies based on massive scale. That means phase one has to be a lengthy fund raising period- getting $190 million in this town is NOT easy. Then - in order to save on construction they have to build at least the whole shell at once. We'll see. If Teague can raise the 190 million and have the basketball portion up in just a few years - my hat is off to him.
This is a time during which we have two or three really nice Minnesota classes coming, a super enthusiastic coach on board and a real opportunity to succeed. I'd liek to see the practice facility much sooner than I see it happening here.
howieramone
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That's what I thought also. I think it's great vision and an all sports approach is the only one with a chance for success. That said, I question whether a Pitino will patiently wait. A facility available in 2-3 years is probably saleable, 4-6 years may well be viewed as pie in the sky. I can't help thinking the beneficiary will be Coach P.'s successor. After all this is just catch up.
Don’t try to lump the athletic village with the loooooooong time it’s going to take to build a practice facility. This grand plan absolutly accelerates the practice facility and donors are on board. The practice facility can and likley will be built as the first phase of this grandiose vision. You didn’t think he could raise 15-20mill and he shoots for the stars and goes after nearly 200. #GoNorwood.
Marcus tweet- #Gophers AD Norwood Teague said they've talked to some major donors about the basketball practice facility and have "gotten some nods."
Not factual, my friend. He did presented renderings or conceptual design images. You think it would be more exciting to see a 2D floor plan? Which would be required to create the 3ds images presented, but you would never present them to excite people.
Clearly you know nothing about construction. On a 190m project building the practice facility and tying into the north and west walls later would be a piece of cake and drop in the bucket money wise.
This is phase one of a master plan, without question there will be more than one phase for constructing a project of this magnitude, especially considering this is not a bare site and used year round by thousands of athletes and coaches.
This is great news for the basketball program and practice facility. Now need to try to spin it any other way.
If you have some sort of knowledge that the basketball facility is going to get built soon and first- then I am all in and excited. I haven't heard that- but I haven't exactly studied the situation either. I know nothing about construction- you are right about that. I do understand funding projects, however. If this is a master plan that they are attempting to raise funds in sectors for (let's say 20 million for basketball first) then they might be all right. If they attempt to the whole $190 million or a large chunk of that before starting- we'll be waiting a long, long time and that would be bad.
Has Norwood stated that the basketball facility would be first and start soon?
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"Gotten some nods" is another way of saying nothing. Teague made it clear in that he didn't know which part(s) had priority - it all depends. You're wishing and hoping here. You and I agree that's how it SHOULD work out, but that's not where they are currently at.
katze019 said:
Absolutely factual. The U was very careful to state, "Please note that these are not renderings or proposed designs, but concept images only." That's a direct quote from the U's posting of the concepts. No renderings, no proposed designs. None.
By the way there aren't "thousands of athletes..." using the area year round. In fact, the number of students participating in athletics at the U isn't even ONE thousand.
Hey, if they get it done... all praise due to Teague and the U. I was hoping that after a year he'd have a plan mapped out better than this and that the plan would be at least within the realm of reality.
Now is the time to truly be bold and say, "look, we need a practice facility and we have lucrative media contracts which bring money into the program... we are going to use some of those revenues to address this need. Period." THAT is being bold and taking charge.
Putting $190 million in perspective
To help consider the problem of raising $190 million - I pulled up from Wiki the info on the fundraising for TCF Stadium:
The stadium's cost totals $288.5 million of which the university will pay 52 percent and the state of Minnesota the remaining 48 percent. Including interest the state's cost is about $10 million per year or about $1.7 million per game for 25 years.[34] About $50 million of the state's portion goes to the purchase of 2,840 acres (11.5 km²) of undeveloped university land, part of the Rosemount Research Center in Dakota County, over 25 years by the state of Minnesota who will assume responsibility for risks if the site requires environmental cleanup.[35][36] The university retains its right to use the land for its "research, education and engagement mission" in perpetuity.[37]
The university's share is $111 million[33] or 52 percent.[38] TCF Financial Corporation of Wayzata, Minnesota is contributing $35 million over 25 years in exchange for the TCF Bank naming rights and other agreements. The university projected earnings of $2.5 million per year or $96 million over the life of agreements with TCF that will include marketing debit cards to alumni and ticketholders.[39][40] If unable to fulfill its contractual obligations, TCF Financial Corporation must propose an alternate name subject to the approval of the university.[41] Other corporate donations have been pledged as well, including Best Buy ($3 million),[42] Dairy Queen ($2.5 million),[43] Target Corporation ($2 million),[44] Federated Insurance, General Mills, and Norwest Equity Partners
So- for a huge project like the stadium that had a ton of notoriety the U was really able to fundraise about $76 million. The balance of the $111 million was taken up by naming rights which doesn't seem like a big factor for a practice facility. Now we are talking about pulling in $190 million for a group of facilities that most people will never see the inside of and for a bunch of sports very few people care about.
If Teague really had something here, he'd say that the basketball facility is the first phase, will cost X amount, that they have Y amount committed so far and that the facility would begin in ___ years. I'll be excited when I see that.
To help consider the problem of raising $190 million - I pulled up from Wiki the info on the fundraising for TCF Stadium:
The stadium's cost totals $288.5 million of which the university will pay 52 percent and the state of Minnesota the remaining 48 percent. Including interest the state's cost is about $10 million per year or about $1.7 million per game for 25 years.[34] About $50 million of the state's portion goes to the purchase of 2,840 acres (11.5 km²) of undeveloped university land, part of the Rosemount Research Center in Dakota County, over 25 years by the state of Minnesota who will assume responsibility for risks if the site requires environmental cleanup.[35][36] The university retains its right to use the land for its "research, education and engagement mission" in perpetuity.[37]
The university's share is $111 million[33] or 52 percent.[38] TCF Financial Corporation of Wayzata, Minnesota is contributing $35 million over 25 years in exchange for the TCF Bank naming rights and other agreements. The university projected earnings of $2.5 million per year or $96 million over the life of agreements with TCF that will include marketing debit cards to alumni and ticketholders.[39][40] If unable to fulfill its contractual obligations, TCF Financial Corporation must propose an alternate name subject to the approval of the university.[41] Other corporate donations have been pledged as well, including Best Buy ($3 million),[42] Dairy Queen ($2.5 million),[43] Target Corporation ($2 million),[44] Federated Insurance, General Mills, and Norwest Equity Partners
So- for a huge project like the stadium that had a ton of notoriety the U was really able to fundraise about $76 million. The balance of the $111 million was taken up by naming rights which doesn't seem like a big factor for a practice facility. Now we are talking about pulling in $190 million for a group of facilities that most people will never see the inside of and for a bunch of sports very few people care about.
If Teague really had something here, he'd say that the basketball facility is the first phase, will cost X amount, that they have Y amount committed so far and that the facility would begin in ___ years. I'll be excited when I see that.
Not really champ, it means he has people lined up and gave him a verbal on $. I’m not wishing and hoping, but you are doing the equal opposite.[/QUOTE]
As Sal Goodman would say, I was spitballing the number of athletes, plus coaches, trainers and other facility that use the facility, only a jack$$ (which you absolutely factually are) would take that number literally.
I think the approach he has taken, with a goal to raise funds for the whole facility will make it much easier to get the 15-20m for the practice facility much easier/quicker. Announcing the facility would be first phase yesterday would be a bad idea IMO.
Love the approach & big vision.
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Maybe you're onto something. After all, Teague pitched a standalone basketball practice facility project after VCU went to the Final Four, but that hasn't resulted in anything being built.
I love the big vision- I'm with you on that. However, if you go with the approach that we are going to be all things to all people- you might not get it done. My opinion- which is worth almost nothing- is that the right approach is to be bold enough to have the guts to say we are going to start with the facilities for the revenue sports and move to the non-revenue sports as the funds come in. That's an approach that actually makes sense and such an approach sells well to people who have built up the net worth to supply the funds.
I don't think asking for $190 million with no priority list is going to help get the basketball facility done sooner. I think it slows it down because donors are going to be questioning how the money will be spent and what gets done with THEIR money. My guess that the coaches that were crying tears of joy were the non-revenue coaches. If I were Pitino, I would be shedding a different kind of tear.
The folks at VCU are happy with how Norwood got the ball rolling on that project. Last I checked fundraising was going well and they are on there way. Guess that's not good enough for you. Big surprise.
Bad Gopher
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This is where Norwood's fundraising prowess will come in handy - in fact it'll be absolutely necessary. I don't think anyone said it was going to be easy, especially for the less sexy needs.
Hey, maybe we have to get creative. If schools have to have a bake sale to fund something, maybe the crew team can have a car wash and frame up their own boathouse, a la Habitat for Humanity.
I wonder what the bigger priority is, upgrade/new football practice facilities or a new basketball practice facility, I somehow think that football is going to take precedent with basketball behind it even though basketball is a more pressing need.
HOOP DREAMS
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Highly unlikely given Teague's radio interviews. Some might be built at the same time, though I give football facilities taking precedent over the hoops practice facility a 2% chance.
BleedGopher
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STrib: U faces daunting task in raising $190 million for practice facilities
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/215174521.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Go Gophers!!
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/215174521.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Go Gophers!!
BleedGopher
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Marcus blog: Gophers facilities plan: Which project should come first? Which will come first?
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...ject-should-come-first-which-will-come-first/
Go Gophers!!
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...ject-should-come-first-which-will-come-first/
Go Gophers!!
Basketball practice facility appears to have moved down the priority list
When Tubby was here, we kept hearing that the basketball practice facility was the #1 facility priority. He leaves and Kill really stepped up his rhetoric about needing a new one for football. Pitino came in with a fresh perspective, not one to focus on what we don't have, hadn't grown tired of not having a shiny new one, and probably feeling like our facilities are a lot better than what he had at FIU. Meanwhile, Kill had tenure over Pitino and is now really starting to flex his muscles, as he most recently said he expects to break ground in April. Realizing that we can't build everything at once, this probably pushes the hoops facility back another year at least. We are now in year 7 of when Tubby was first promised one.
When Tubby was here, we kept hearing that the basketball practice facility was the #1 facility priority. He leaves and Kill really stepped up his rhetoric about needing a new one for football. Pitino came in with a fresh perspective, not one to focus on what we don't have, hadn't grown tired of not having a shiny new one, and probably feeling like our facilities are a lot better than what he had at FIU. Meanwhile, Kill had tenure over Pitino and is now really starting to flex his muscles, as he most recently said he expects to break ground in April. Realizing that we can't build everything at once, this probably pushes the hoops facility back another year at least. We are now in year 7 of when Tubby was first promised one.
It is multi-sport, but its also mutli-phase. They aren't going to build everything at once. They have to prioritize.
golfing18now
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Many on this board have applauded Pitino for taking the glass is half full type approach on the practice facility and ripped Tubby for not recognizing a viable practice field outside his office door. Perhaps Tubby had it right all along. This was one of the things I was worried about when we read about the pseudo practice facility. We can just kick the can down the street and live with inferior facilities.
Disappointing, if true.
Disappointing, if true.