Evansville set to upgrade practice facilities

If your school -- nay, league -- is not really a part of the conference realignment carousel, exactly what does your program do during the summer?

If you’re the Evansville Purple Aces, you strengthen your footing by upgrading your facilities. According to the Evansville Athletics home page, the university -- a member of the Missouri Valley Conference -- is building a $3.3 million, 25,000 square foot practice facility.

The facility, which is currently mostly a cinder-block wall, but should look lovely once it’s finished, will be named Fifth Third Basketball Practice Facility. Fifth Third Bank has sponsored other new athletics facilities in the Midwest, where minor league ballparks in Dayton and Toledo bear the name of the financial services giant.

According to the school’s press release, the facility is already 80% funded, with additional donations expected. Construction seems to be progressing quickly, as well:

The project, which is taking place to the west of the Carson Center, got underway near the end of April. The facility will house practice courts for the Purple Aces men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as new office facilities for both and a lounge. The facility is set to be completed in October of 2012, just in time for use for the 2012-12 basketball season.

The Aces, who last went to the NCAA tournament in 1999, could use a recruiting boost, and the new building should help them be more competitive. To get a look at the mockups for the finished product, check out the school’s YouTube video.

(photo: Evansville Athletics)