WILLIAMSBURG – The word “commitment” is used often in college athletics. The sports information department will refer to an incoming athlete as a “commitment.” College coaches point to the “commitment” it takes from athletes to be successful, and the “commitment” athletes must make to the team and one another. It can appear to be a one-sided relationship.
However, the College of William & Mary is making a commitment to its recruits, current athletes, coaches, staff, and the entire community with the new W&M Athletics Complex. Ground was broken on the project, which will be done in two phases, in early May.
“It’s important that our facilities match that commitment (our athletes) made to us,” Brian Mann, the director of athletics, said, adding having physical evidence of that commitment is important.
Coach Dane Fischer, who is preparing for his fourth season in charge of the men’s basketball program, agrees the project sends a message.
“I think it shows the commitment that the school is making to the student-athlete and to their experience,” he said. “Whether you’re currently enrolled here or someone that’s looking at William and Mary as a possible option, you’re always weighing how much athletics matters. When you see a facility like this going in, and the commitments that a school and department are going to make to their experience, that speaks volumes.”
The total cost of the project is $67 million, with more than $40 million already raised. Among the major contributors are Katie (Garrett) and Todd Boehly, Jennifer (Tepper) and D. Scott Mackesy, Sue Hanna Gerdelman, Jean (Berger) and Rob Estes Jr., Betsy and Scott Custer, and Jim and Jane (Thompson) Kaplan.
The first phase of the project is expected to take between 2-2 1/2 years, Mann said. That will focus on improvements to Kaplan Arena, including renovating the locker rooms and weight rooms, adding an academic support center, updating the lighting in the arena, and adding a new video board and new audio system.
Phase II, which Mann predicts won’t start until Phase I is complete, will consist of building the Mackesy Sports Performance Center off the back and adjacent to Kaplan Arena. That will feature a second weight room, a world class sports medicine facility, and a practice court.
“What we’re doing by splitting it out in this way is we’re prioritizing the things that most impact our student-athletes first, that’s the way we have it set up,” Mann said. “So, locker rooms, weight rooms, sports medicine, all those things all 500 of our student-athletes will have access to.”
Upgrades will be rolled out as they are completed to minimize the disruption to the student-athletes.
“No one should be without a home for more than a couple of months at the beginning,” Mann said.
The court that is part of the second phase is an important addition, taking pressure off single-service use and allowing coaches more options for practice times.
“It’s as much about adding the basketball practice facility as it is making sure that dozens of our student-athletes are going to have greater flexibility in scheduling,” Mann said.
Fischer said when both phases are complete, W&M will have one of the best facilities in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“William and Mary is a little bit of a niche school in this league with the academic reputation that we have, and it’s a real positive for us,” he said. “If our athletic facilities are on par, or even better than some of our competitors in this league, that’s really going to be a great combination for us.”
Mann agreed.
“If you look at what’s happening around the league and plans that are being made, this is a level of commitment to our student-athletes that the majority of CAA schools, if they haven’t made it already, they’re getting ready to make,” he said. “It’s important for us to make sure that we can remain competitive.”
The new facility and upgrades can benefit more than the athletes, coaches, and students.
“There’s a real opportunity to help impact our community because of the hope that this can elevate our athletic department, which in turn hopefully elevates the fan base and the amount of people coming here, which can in turn really impact our local community,” Fischer said. “I think it could be a domino effect that we’re really excited about.”
Mann said the long-term goal is to make Kaplan Arena the center of community events and gatherings.
“We want Kaplan Arena to be a place that everyone in our community thinks about as a gathering spot, as a unifying force,” he said, noting that has been the case in the past. “We believe this project is giving us the chance to return it to that centerpiece of campus again. That excites us a great deal.”
There’s no reason the college can’t offer a great athletic experience, Mann said, just as it provides a world-class education.
“This facility sends a message about that,” he said.
When recruits visit, Fischer noted they see the commitment to academics, notice the beautiful campus, and realize the connections to the community, including Colonial Williamsburg.
“They’re blown away by all that,” he said.
This project, he believes, will put the athletic department on par with the rest of the college.
“That’s going to really help us attract top-notch student-athletes,” he said.
At the heart of it, however, is the commitment on the part of the college.
“Every dollar and every inch of this project, especially in Phase I, is going to support our student-athletes and show them that we’re going to do all that we can to commit to them in the same way they have committed,” he said. “Recruits look for that, parents look for that.”
