New Alabama Basketball Practice Facility Approved by Board of Trustees

An expansion and renovation to Coleman Coliseum will provide updated facilities and a brand new practice facility for the Alabama men's basketball team.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats brings the team together at half court before dismissing practice for the Crimson Tide Men s Basketball team Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA

The UA System Board of Trustees voted to approve the proposed expansion and renovation of Coleman Coliseum during Friday's meeting in Tuscaloosa.

The vote comes a day after both the UA System Finance Committee and Physical Properties Committee approved the funding and initial stages of the project, officially titled 'Coleman Coliseum Basketball Training Facility Expansion and Renovation.'

The project, which in total will cost $58.674 million, will entail a 48,000 square-foot expansion to the southeast corner of Coleman Coliseum and a 19,000 square foot renovation of existing space in the facility.

The expansion will give the Alabama men's basketball program a brand new practice facility and weight room, something Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said has been the 'highest priority' for head coach Nate Oats. The renovations will also update the existing practice facility in Coleman Coliseum, which the women's basketball team, that currently practices in Foster Auditorium, will move into.

In totality, the project will include a new practice facility and weight room, new sports medicine spaces, film and team meeting rooms, locker rooms, lounges, and coach and staff areas for both the men's and women's basketball programs.

During the Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, Byrne stated the plan was to break ground on the project in the fall with goal of having the facilities fully operational by the 2026 season. Byrne also stated that the construction would not hinder any of Coleman Coliseum's normal operations, including games.

“As a program, we spend a majority of our time in the practice gym, the weight room and studying film, so the potential for us to have a new and expanded space for our student-athletes to develop is big for our program," Oats said. "We have tremendous support from our administration, which has played a role in our success, and I want to thank the Board of Trustees, Interim Chancellor Trant and President Bell as well as Greg Byrne and Shane Lyons for bringing this forward. I’d also like to thank our donors and fans for all they do for us.”