When the $19 million worth of courts, offices and glass-paneling that will comprise the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center is completed, the facility will be an invaluable resource and recruiting tool for the Syracuse basketball program.

What the center won’t be is the first of its kind.

In fact, the ‘Melo Center is just the newest in a line of basketball-only practice facilities popping up on college campuses. Expensive practice complexes have become more commonplace during the past several years as schools look to provide basketball players with an exclusive place to hone their jump shots and build their bodies. At the same time, schools building such facilities know by creating state-of-the-art complexes, they position themselves to attract the nation’s top recruits.

In his press conference last Wednesday at the ‘Melo Center’s ground breaking ceremony, SU head coach Jim Boeheim acknowledged the trend of new practice facilities becoming greater.

‘I’ve seen a few facilities and there are a lot of nice ones that are opening as we speak,’ Boeheim said. ‘And, there are several that had been opened over the last five or six years. … Now, in our league, Villanova is opening one, St. John’s has, Cincinnati has a new building, Louisville has a new practice facility, Pittsburgh obviously has a new arena, which has a practice facility in it.’

The increasing number of basketball-only practice buildings expands beyond the Big East. Striking examples of this arms race seem to appear more and more frequently. Just last January, Kentucky opened the Joe Craft Center, a $30 million dollar facility.

Scott Stricklin, Kentucky assistant athletic director for media relations, said the impetus to build such a facility was created mainly by a lack of space. Four Kentucky programs – men’s and women’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball – used to share practice space at Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum.

‘In our particular case, we had four different programs, plus the university using the court we had for practice,’ Stricklin said. ‘We just needed more space for our student-athletes to train in.’

Opening up space appears to be a common theme in the opening of new facilities. It was a point brought up by Baylor assistant coach Matthew Driscoll. More than a year ago, the Bears opened up the $8 million Lt. Jack Whetsel Jr. Basketball Practice Facility. Driscoll said the Baylor basketball team had to share the same space at the Ferrell Center used for volleyball, concerts and other various receptions and events. He said that during one fall at Baylor, the basketball team was only able to secure court space five out of a possible 22 days.

‘Guys, if they’re going to be here…if they if want to work and they want to get in and lift, they gotta have a place to do it,’ Driscoll said. ‘You can’t say to a kid, ‘Hey, you can only come in here at 10:30 because there’s a camp all day.’ Things like that can hurt you a lot of different ways, especially in recruiting.’

New facilities like Baylor and Kentucky illustrate growing importance on practice facilities for any-sized Division-I program. In one case this offseason, new Colorado head coach Jeff Bzdelik reportedly left Air Force for the Buffaloes head coaching job in part due to promises from the Colorado administration to seek funding for a new basketball practice facility. Tennessee also broke ground on a new, $16 million facility last October, and Texas A&M will open a $22 million complex in 2008.

A big reason for the facilities boom, Driscoll said, is to stay ahead in recruiting.

‘In reality, it’s players that are going to win championships. Florida didn’t have three in the lottery by mistake,’ Driscoll said. ‘With that said, players want two things – they want the opportunity to play and they want the opportunity to work on their individual skills so they can make it to the next level. … So recruiting, by far, it separates you. It’s not even close.’

The modern model for such practice facilities, Driscoll said, can be found at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at Florida, which includes a $10 million, 47,505-square-foot basketball practice facility. The facility opened in October 2001 and contains separate courts for the men’s and women’s teams, as well as a weight room, locker rooms, video rooms and coaches offices.

Driscoll said he has seen first-hand facilities at Oklahoma and Texas that match the dual-court, multi-purpose design that exists at Florida, Kentucky and, in 12 to18 months, Syracuse.

As more and more practice facilities such as the one at Florida have become more common, the arms race continues among schools to develop the newest and most comprehensive facilities to attract potential recruits, while at the same time providing the best facilities for current student-athletes.

‘Recruiting is always important at a program like Kentucky or any major conference school, but I think it makes your program so much more efficient with a facility like this,’ Stricklin said. ‘Recruiting is important, but making sure your team has a quality facility to train in is even more important. I think once the decision was made, that’s when you say, ‘Let’s make it as nice as we can for the recruiting impact.”

Nichols signs with Knicks

Former SU forward Demetris Nichols inked a non-guaranteed contract with the New York Knicks on Monday. Nichols’ non-guaranteed contract means the Knicks can cut him and get rid of his rights should he not make the team’s 15-man roster.

Nichols was an All-Big East selection as a senior last year after leading the conference in scoring with 18.9 points a game. Nichols was selected 53rd overall in the NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, who then traded his rights to the Knicks later that night.

Walk-on tryouts scheduled

For those Syracuse students who think they’re good enough to play with the Orange, this is the chance to prove it.

Tryouts for the men’s basketball team will be held Oct. 12 at 10 p.m. at Manley Field House. Those trying out should bring their SUID and athletic gear. All athletes should be in good academic standing.

Published on October 2, 2007 at 12:00 pm