NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The growth on Vanderbilt's campus can't be overlooked. Through the dust and debris, a brand new building has been erected on campus.
Vanderbilt's men's and women's basketball teams are getting ready to get a new three-story home.
"It's incredible," Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee said. "I believe it's the best basketball facility in the country, and I know it gives Shea Ralph, Mark Byington and our student-athletes everything they need to succeed."
The 90,000-square foot practice facility will feature extended basketball courts, a giant weight room, player locker rooms, film and meeting areas as well as coaches' offices.
"I love the facility," Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. "It sets the right tone that we are committed to athletics and we want to have a first-class facility for them. We are playing in the toughest conference in the country and we need to have a level of investment for out student-athletes to compete at that level."
The state-of-the-art space has everyone buzzing.
"They are excited about it," Diermeier said. "That's what they tell us. The coaches are excited. The players are excited I think it would be a wonderful place to help us recruit the next generation of great Vanderbilt athletes so it's all coming together in a very nice way."
As Vanderbilt continues to advance on and off the court, this new addition looks to send a message to everyone across the country. The Commodores hope this facility will bring more wins to the program in the future.
"As an AD and an alum, to walk my teammates through this building last weekend was incredible," Lee said. "They kept saying 'Man, we are so proud to be Commodores,' and that's a reaction that I hope we all have."
