SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The University of San Diego unveiled its new $35 million Basketball Performance Center this week, with coaches and administrators calling the facility a "game-changer" for the school's basketball programs.
The state-of-the-art center features a full-sized court, custom weight room equipment, athletic training areas, player lounges and spacious locker rooms for both men's and women's teams.
"This is the best of any facility that I've been a part of in my 38 years associated with college basketball," said men's basketball coach Steve Lavin, who previously led programs at UCLA and St. John's.
Women's basketball coach Blanche Alverson shares the enthusiasm about the new facility's potential impact.
"It's a phenomenal facility, I think that we are really poised to have a lot of success here," said Alverson.
USD Athletic Director Kimya Massey believes the new center will help level the playing field with larger programs that can offer more lucrative financial incentives to recruits in today's changing college sports landscape.
"We know where we're at, I think you have to be realistic that you can't always compete dollar-wise with some of those programs, and I think that's ok," said Massey.
The impact on recruiting has been immediate, according to Massey.
"It is a game-changer, we've already seen in the last 10 days in our recruiting, we've had 12 official visits from prospects and their families, and most of them are Power 4 conference prospects, Arizona, Wake Forest, schools at that level," said Massey.
The facility's attention to detail extends throughout the building, including coaches' offices with views stretching to Mission Bay.
"The design of it... is elite," said Massey.
University officials hope this investment will help propel both basketball programs to new heights of success.
