- June 22, 2023
- By Maryland Athletics Staff
As a shot clock reached zero outside the Xfinity Center on Thursday, a giant banner dropped to reveal Maryland’s two head basketball coaches taking charge, but not of their teams. Brenda Frese and Kevin Willard each grinned from behind the wheels of a giant excavator, and right on cue, both dug into a mound of dirt in front of them.
The temporary construction crew’s inaugural scoops, which were met by cheers and confetti, marked the official groundbreaking for the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center, a new practice facility for the University of Maryland men’s and women’s basketball teams.
ESPN host and Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt emceed the event, which featured remarks from UMD President Darryll J. Pines, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Damon Evans, Gossett, Willard and Frese.
Evans thanked Gossett for his continued support of the Terrapins, as well as several other individuals who have been committed to Athletics’ success: Brooke Butler-Wagner, Billy Greenblatt, and Harvey and Ellen Sanders.
“Today is a transformational day for Maryland Athletics and specifically Maryland men’s and women’s basketball,” said Evans. “We have storied basketball programs at the University of Maryland, and this facility will be a catalyst for future success representing the best possible environment for our student-athletes to succeed academically, athletically and socially.”
The 44,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Xfinity Center will create a new landmark on the northern edge of the Maryland campus. It will feature a dedicated practice court for the teams, a strength and conditioning facility, expanded locker rooms with cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art athletic training areas with hydrotherapy, and dedicated space for film study and game-planning, as well as large lounge areas and office space for both coaching staffs.
“This facility will help us continue to attract the best-of-the-best: the best students, the best athletes, and the best people,” said Frese.
It will also benefit other sport programs at Maryland, allowing upgraded locker rooms, sports medicine areas, and coaching spaces within the Xfinity Center as well as the expansion of programming space. Additionally, the Xfinity Center itself will be available to accommodate more special events, a boon to the entire campus community.
“This is one of the most important days of Maryland basketball because it’s giving men’s and women’s basketball a place to call home—a place to eat as a family, a place to train as a family, a place to stay after practice and watch games as a family,” Willard said.
The project is being led by Clark Construction with architectural firm Gensler serving as design consultant. Construction is expected to be complete prior to the Fall 2025 semester.
The Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center is one of several current and upcoming facility projects targeted at improving Maryland Athletics. The new Field Hockey and Women’s Lacrosse Complex will officially open prior to Fall 2023. Other projects include the Stanley Bobb Baseball Development Center, the Softball Player Development Center, the Golf Development Center, a track and field stadium, a soccer stadium and renovations to Gossett Hall.