Georgetown's Huge New Basketball Facility Is Finally Open: Report

GEORGETOWN, DC — The Georgetown Hoyas have a new athletic center, and it has all the bells and whistles.

The John Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center -- named after the legendary Big John Thompson who led Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas to a national championship in 1984 -- is finally operational, according to a Washington Post report. Current Hoyas Coach John Thompson III, Thompson's son, now has a state-of-the-art facility at his disposal, with an official gala opening scheduled for Oct. 6, according to the report.

The building covers 144,000 square feet and was constructed adjacent to the McDonough Gymnasium, according to the Georgetown University website. The athletic center was built to "transform the athletics experience at Georgetown with a facility that supports the demands our student-athletes face on a daily basis," the website notes, adding that the structure will house:

• New practice courts, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, lounge areas and coaches' offices for men's and women's basketball.
• Weight training facility and sports medicine/training room areas for all varsity student-athletes.
• Student-athlete academic center, auditorium and team meeting facilities for all varsity sports programs.
• New home for the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame and additional reception space to honor the University's rich athletic tradition and history.
• Additional locker room spaces to support the year-round training of a number of our varsity athletes.

The building isn't fully complete, but athletes are able to use portions of the building as workers finish up work on the facility, the Post reported. There will be some nice little extras in the building, including dozens of flat-screen televisions and a gaming wall in the athletes' lounge.

The facility will also have a bronze statue of Thompson Jr. as well as an interactive photo wall of the history of Georgetown athletics.

Today, Thompson Jr. currently spends much of his time in the world of broadcasting, but is still closely involved with the team.

Image via Georgetown University