Breaking Ground On A New Home

There have been countless significant moments throughout the history of Maryland basketball—both on the men’s and women’s side. From Kristi Toliver’s historic shot to force overtime en route to winning the 2006 National Championship, to Len Bias out-dueling Michael Jordan and North Carolina in 1986, the list is endless.

And though today, June 22, 2023, wasn’t a monumental win on the court, it marked another significant day in Maryland basketball history just the same as construction of the new Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center officially began. 

Just ask head men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard.

“Before today we didn’t have a home,” Willard said. “This is now our home. This is one of the most important days of Maryland basketball. It has given men’s and women’s basketball a place to call home, a place to eat as a family, a place to train as a family, a place to stay after practice and watch games as a family.”

The 44,000 square foot facility will be located adjacent to the XFINITY Center creating a new landmark on the northern edge of the Maryland campus. It will feature a dedicated practice court for the teams, a centrally located strength and conditioning facility, expanded locker rooms with cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art athletic training areas with hydrotherapy, dedicated space for film study and game-planning as well as large lounge areas and office space for both coaching staffs. Construction of the facility is expected to be complete prior to the Fall 2025 semester.

For both Willard and head women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese, the importance of the new state-of-the-art facility and its significance to the future of their programs cannot be overstated. 

“I don’t get nervous in front of the media or by talking in front of people, but I was nervous just because I think it’s that big of a day for Maryland basketball,” Willard said. “It’s a place where the former players are going to be able to call home because they’ll have a locker room in there. It’s a place for the current players to train at the highest level with the best equipment, with a weight room they truly need, and with a recovery area they deserve…I just think it springboards our program tremendously.” 

“Being able to actually put that fork into the ground and to see it happen is a dream come true,” Frese said. “We’ve been planning for it for a long time and it was a dream to see it become a reality.”

For Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Damon Evans, the facility could not be going to more deserving programs and coaches. 

“When you look at the rich history and tradition of our basketball programs, this is well-deserved. This is something that, in my opinion, should’ve been done years ago. But I couldn’t focus on the past. I had to focus on getting people to believe we would bring this to fruition and that’s what we’ve done.”

The plans for the BPC began decades ago, overcame various speed bumps along the way, and officially materialized today. 

For Frese, the leader of one of the most consistently successful women’s basketball programs in the nation for the past 21 years, the wait made today’s result even sweeter. 

“Knowing how long it’s taken, to walk into that beautiful facility when it’s finished and see it all come together, that makes it so much more rewarding.”

The facility, which will be used solely by the two basketball programs, was celebrated at a groundbreaking ceremony earlier today that featured remarks from Evans, Frese and Willard in addition to ESPN celebrity and Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt, Maryland President Darryll J. Pines, Barry P. Gossett himself, and former Terrapin Club president Marlene Feldman.

Many of the remarks at the ceremony touched on the increased access to the court, weight room and various training and recovery areas that the facility will provide. At Maryland, gone are the days where basketball players couldn’t come into the gym to put up extra shots or get a late-night lift in because of scheduling conflicts in the XFINITY Center.

“This facility is a complete game-changer,” Frese said. “I just know how much our players love getting in the gym and being able to hone their craft. And now we have all kinds of access and no limitations. Having our own basketball facility is huge.”

In addition to the increased access, the facility will provide a true sense of home for everyone involved in both programs—something that will only serve to strengthen chemistry both on and off the court. 

“We looked at (Maryland football’s recently-constructed practice facility) Jones Hill-House a lot for this…What I found is you see the football team hanging out there all the time, even when they’re not practicing,” Evans said. “That’s what will happen here as well. So you can talk about training and things of that nature, but I really think it will help the culture and to bring the team together. Plus, make no mistake about it, when you’re out recruiting kids and you can bring them to a facility like this, it helps out immensely.”

That concept of a true home for both basketball programs is something that Willard has been ecstatic about being able to implement at Maryland for his team. In a media session after the groundbreaking ceremony, he pointed to his close friend Ed Cooley and his former Providence team as an example, citing their construction of a practice facility being immediately followed up by a Sweet 16 run. 

“It was the difference that when the kids walked into the facility, they had everything there so they didn't want to leave,” Willard said. “They got to know each other better, know each other’s families, they worked out more, they played more.”

After everyone spoke at the ceremony, a 10-second countdown began before the backdrop was dropped to unveil Willard and Frese sitting on heavy machinery, doing the symbolic work to officially break ground on this momentous project. 

The excitement reflected on their faces as well as on everyone else’s in attendance can be summed up best by Van Pelt’s first words at the ceremony: “It really is an incredible day. I’m so happy we have a practice facility.”