Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Have you ever wanted something so much, you couldn’t wait any longer? A present, gift or even a holiday weekend? Well for Georgetown student athletes, that long awaited change to the athletic facilities on campus is almost ready to open its doors with the new John Thompson Jr. Center, honoring one of the most legendary names to grace the campus.
Many athletes, including myself, have complained about crowding and lack of areas for preparation for each season and shared facilities at the McDonough Arena which has served all athletes and legends on campus such as Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson since 1950. There are really too many to list, but you get the idea.
So, new building, means new technology and lots and lots of space. How about 144,000 square feet of it. You would find it hard to match a facility at too many D1 basketball based schools like Georgetown that is also going to afford the state of the art facilities for all sports going forward that will make the teams capable of recruiting the best High School athletes in the country for years to come. This is something that all alumni and parents visiting will find makes Georgetown the right choice when it comes to first class facilities year round.
As we took the tour with JTIII, it was easy to see how excited he was about this facility and humble at the same time about his own digs that over look the campus. He laughed a little about his office, where windows are eye level with student dorms.”You know we have a lot of late nights, we could become friends real quickly if you know what I mean”.
He seemed super pleased with both the women’s and men’s basketball facilities, in where for the first time ever, there will no longer be shared basketball facilities for both teams. We must say these courts are amazing. They actually have outside light coming in for the first time since 1950 without opening the doors to the gym.
What we liked about this facility is the history that is so interactive. The first floor of the building is like a living museum to the history of Georgetown Athletics, which is all interactive with the use of your Iphone. Just move your phone across the photos on the wall for the history of what you are looking at first hand. No more plastic placards to look at, just all you need in one place on your phone.
Many other sports such as lacrosse and soccer will finally have their own digs as well. These locker rooms are pro quality. If you wanted to know what it was like to make it to the big leagues of any sport, this is it.
If you need treatment from injuries, their new training facility is amazing in its own. Hot and cold tubs, massage tables, trust me, its in there. The custom designs on the wall and pictures of legends is also a great reminders for student athletes what you can become with all they are offering.
From top to bottom, many years of thought went into creating this gem of a facility that recognizes where athletes that shaped the programs as we know them today to the ones that will grace the building for years to come.
Stay tuned for the Grand Opening coverage on October 6th.
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