St. John's announces plans for new basketball facilities
A rendering, for illustration purposes only, of the new St. John's basketball facilities that the school announced plans for on Friday. Credit: St. John's Athletics
St. John’s is taking steps to improve its chances for success on the court by building a new basketball training and practice facility, the school announced Friday. The project is in the design phase and is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
The men’s and women’s basketball programs currently train at Taffner Fieldhouse, which is being converted into a campus recreation center. Rick Pitino has been critical of the facilities since he was hired last March, and St. John’s has not kept pace with most of the programs in the Big East.
“In this fast-changing world of modern college athletics that includes [NIL] opportunities for student-athletes, an active transfer portal, and increasing competition, it is critically important for St. John’s to have state-of-the-art facilities and support services,” Rev. Brian J. Shanley, the university president, said in an announcement. “The Board of Trustees and I are committed to securing the resources needed to provide our men’s and women’s basketball players, coaches, and staff with exceptional spaces for practice, conditioning, learning, and preparation so that they can compete at the highest level.”
The school announcement — which came several days after Shanley sent a campuswide memorandum on the subject — said the facility will be 50,000 square feet and will include “courts, locker rooms, training and strength areas, office and film rooms, interactive recruiting spaces and more.”
“The basketball practice facility will fulfill our vision to deliver first-class facilities and resources to St. John’s student-athletes and help ensure their future success under our Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and women’s basketball coach Joe Tartamella,” St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg said in the announcement.
St. John’s has been making gradual upgrades to Carnesecca Arena — which Pitino also has said provides an inadequate fan experience — and the announcement said fundraising efforts have been ongoing for the practice facility since 2001.
As for what the facility will be called, the announcement said “naming opportunities will be available for St. John’s loyal supporters to contribute to the initiative.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.