By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Calling it “an awesome, celebratory day,” UTSA officials realized another goal in facilities development Wednesday morning with a groundbreaking ceremony for a $35 million basketball and volleyball training center.
UTSA president Taylor Eighmy, addressing a gathering in the foyer of the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence, thanked university staff, boosters and civic leaders for their help in kicking off construction of a 53,000-square foot complex that is expected to be completed in 2026.
“Today is one of those important milestones (for) how we’re going to get where we want to be” in athletics, Eighmy told the group.
For Dr. Lisa Campos, the UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics, the groundbreaking represented a starting point for the third major construction project the department has undertaken since she was hired in 2017.
Under her watch, UTSA has built the RACE facility, which is considered the hub of the department, and also the Park West Fieldhouse, the training home for the track and field and soccer teams.
Campos said her excitement is “through the roof” in getting started on what will be the first major facilities investment in basketball and volleyball since UTSA started playing intercollegiate sports in 1981.
The complex is expected to include two full-sized NCAA practice courts, locker rooms, a team lounge for each program, a weight room, athletic training with hydrotherapy, meeting rooms and coaches’ offices.
“We hear from our student-athletes all the time,” Campos said. “They want to be honing their skills, and this is going to give them the opportunity. And from the recruitment standpoint, facilities do still matter. We know NIL matters, but facilities still matter.”
Campos said the construction timeline is about two years.
“We’re projecting that it will be done sometime mid- to late-2026,” she said.
Once the new facility opens, both basketball teams and the volleyball team will continue to play in the Convocation Center, which has been in use for more than 40 years.
The athletic department has prioritized upgrades to baseball and softball facilities, as well as adding a covered football practice field.
But, Campos said, in the long-term, she wants to see a basketball competition site on campus.
“Obviously, we are constantly looking at the Convocation Center,” she said. “We know that’s probably going to take a public-private partnership to get that done. So it is on our radar, but we do have some other projects ahead of that.”