Donations, endowments fund facility
By Matt Potter
Staff Reporter

The university is getting a new $6 million basketball practice facility that will enhance both the men’s and women’s programs, men’s head coach Neil Dougherty said.

The facility will help recruiting, improve both the men’s and women’s basketball programs and will serve as a new multi-functional gym that will hold camps, clinics and basketball tournaments, Dougherty said.

The facility, which will be named the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Practice Complex, is a 22,000-square-foot practice facility that has office space for both the men’s and women’s coaching staffs in addition to two 94-foot basketball courts, a meeting room, a weight room, a lobby and a courtyard, Dougherty said.

Construction began on the facility in early August, and Dougherty said he hopes that the complex would be complete by late February or early March.

The complex is being built on the southwest side of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Plans for the facility include a connecting hallway from the practice facility to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

“The TCU basketball program needed a gym to call their own,” Dougherty said. “The players will have a place where they can go, pick up a ball and start shooting without having to wait for a schedule or clearance.”

The blueprint for the new facility originated more than five years ago, athletic director Eric Hyman said.

“It was submitted to the board in November of 1998, and they approved about 90 percent of it,” Hyman said. “In April of 1999, they approved the rest.”

TCU came up with a long-range plan for improving facilities, including the now completed Lowdon Track and Field Complex, the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium, the John Justin Athletic Center and the football practice field.

“We went through our priorities, and then when we got to the basketball facility, we started raising money,” Hyman said. “I was stunned by how quickly we were able to raise the money. It took about six months.”

For the first time in school history, the students and the university won’t have to pay a penny, Hyman said. All the costs were covered through endowments and private donations, he said.

“The new facility shows a huge commitment on the part of the university to improve the basketball program,” women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie said. “It’s a first-class facility where the kids can come practice their game.”

Daniel-Meyer Coliseum was not the best place to practice, Dougherty said.

“There’s a lack of court space at Daniel-Meyer; we can’t hold scrimmages and work one-on-one with players at the same time,” Dougherty said. “Also, during the offseason the coliseum is occupied for graduation and other events.”

Junior forward Marcus Sloan said he thinks the new practice facility will greatly improve the team’s level of play.

“We’ll always have a place to play, and the weight room is going to help us get stronger, too,” Sloan said.

Hyman didn’t want to comment on any of the specifics of the donations but said that Ed and Rae Schollmaier are involved with philanthropy in the Fort Worth community. Ed Schollmaier is also a member on the Board of Trustees and the athletic committee of the Board.

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Bronson Davis said Ed Schollmaier has been
a moving force for the TCU basketball program for a long time.

“He is very supportive of the basketball program and has been very active in getting this facility built,” Davis said. “Ed’s gift was the final gift needed to get the project completed and he also made the biggest contribution.”