New Alabama Basketball Practice Facility
The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees has given the green light to the proposed expansion and renovation of Coleman Coliseum, as announced during Friday’s meeting in Tuscaloosa.
This decision follows approvals from both the UA System Finance Committee and Physical Properties Committee, who on Thursday endorsed the funding and initial phases of the “Coleman Coliseum Basketball Training Facility Expansion and Renovation.”
The comprehensive $58.674 million project will feature a 48,000 square-foot expansion on the southeast corner of Coleman Coliseum and a 19,000 square-foot renovation of the current facility.
This expansion is set to provide the Alabama men’s basketball team with a state-of-the-art practice facility and weight room, which Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne described as the “highest priority” for head coach Nate Oats. Additionally, the women’s basketball team, currently practicing in Foster Auditorium, will benefit from the upgraded existing practice space within Coleman Coliseum.
Overall, the project will deliver new practice facilities, weight rooms, sports medicine areas, film and team meeting rooms, locker rooms, lounges, and coaches’ offices for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
Byrne, speaking at the Finance Committee meeting, revealed plans to commence construction this fall, aiming for the facilities to be fully operational by the 2026 season. He also assured that the construction would not disrupt Coleman Coliseum’s regular operations, including game schedules.
“As a program, we spend a majority of our time in the practice gym, the weight room, and studying film, so the potential for us to have a new and expanded space for our student-athletes to develop is big for our program,” Oats said. “We have tremendous support from our administration, which has played a role in our success, and I want to thank the Board of Trustees, Interim Chancellor Trant, and President Bell as well as Greg Byrne and Shane Lyons for bringing this forward. I’d also like to thank our donors and fans for all they do for us.”
