WACO, Texas — New year, new basketball arena! In just 15 days, the Foster Pavilion will be packed with thousands of fans as Baylor basketball tips off on the new hardwood.
On Monday, Baylor Athletics gave the media an exclusive tour of the grounds just days away from the grand opening.
The $200 million dollar project has been under construction since 2022 with over 200 people working on site, and on Jan. 2, the vision will come to life. The new home of Baylor basketball will hold 7,500 people, which is 3,000 less than capacity at the Ferrell Center, but comes with new and improved technology.
Project manager Henry Howard said Baylor basketball has a major focus on the fan and player experience with this new build, featuring state of the art technology like horizontal video boards where fans can watch instant replay from any angle.
The seating of the space is designed to make fans feel closer to the action with a pit-like approach.
The space offers six total locker rooms with two generously-sized spaces. All six of those rooms will not be completed before the opening game on Jan. 2, but are expected to be finished in the summer of 2024.
Both teams utilize an app called the Shot Tracker, which tracks the arc of shots and tallies how many shots made during a practice session. Howard said that coaches and players will now have the ability to review that footage on the big screens if desired.
The men open play in the new Foster Pavilion on Jan. 2 against Cornell and the women follow right behind hosting TCU.
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