Seton Hall Announces Plans for New Basketball Practice Facility

On Jun 27, 2023

Seton Hall University has announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art basketball practice facility for student-athletes.

Located within the Richie Regan Recreation & Athletic Center on the South Orange campus, the basketball practice facility will include a new basketball court, locker rooms, lounges, offices, sports medicine room, strength and conditioning room, film room and more. The creation of the basketball facility also includes enhancements to women’s basketball facilities.

Seton Hall plans to direct meaningful resources to this effort, including private philanthropy and a portion of bonds secured at historically low interest rates. The university has already received several generous donations, including from Pat Murray and Mary Ann Pfaff Murray, Jim O’Brien and Family, Al Frungillo and Family, Joseph Torcivia and Family, and Bruce Tomason. Seton Hall will continue to prioritize building-fund contributions in the coming months.

The university has been implementing a 10-year master plan to dramatically improve athletics and recreational facilities for the entire community. The department of Athletics and Recreation has transformed its facilities to ensure student-athletes are able to compete for championships while enjoying their campus experience. This includes the renovation of historic Walsh Gymnasium completed in 2021, which now provides a better experience for women’s basketball and women’s volleyball student-athletes and fans.

“The Pirates are a unifying force on our campuses, bringing our community together to share our collective pride. The new training facility will help them climb in the rankings, attract talented recruits and give fans worldwide new reasons to cheer,” said Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., president of Seton Hall.

In the past decade, men’s basketball has enjoyed tremendous success and has built a reputation as one of the best programs competing in one of the best basketball conferences in the nation. This includes five NCAA Tournament appearances and two BIG EAST championships and a national ranking as high as No. 8. Building a dedicated basketball practice facility will go a long way toward preserving the program’s status as a national brand. The construction of the facility will also free up space within the Recreation Center to begin making enhancements to women’s basketball’s facilities. The women’s basketball program has competed in either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT seven of the last 10 years and won a BIG EAST championship in 2015.

“Our practice facility project marks a new era for Seton Hall basketball, an era that will build upon the tremendous success our basketball programs have had over the last decade,” said Bryan Felt, Director of Athletics & Recreation. “With the new practice facility and the enhanced women’s basketball facilities within Walsh Gymnasium, we strive to equip our student-athletes with the resources they need to flourish at the highest level of college basketball and compete for conference and national championships.”

The University has contracted with Cannon Design, the architect for recent projects such as Virginia Tech’s baseball stadium, Maryland’s football practice facility and Southern Indiana’s basketball arena, and plans to break ground in Summer 2023.

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