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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Basketball’s chances of becoming a prominent program in the national hoops landscape took a big jump when Ole Miss announced plans in January 2008 to raise funds for the construction of a multi-million dollar practice facility for use by the men’s and women’s teams.
After two years, the sparkling new $13 million, 51,000-square-foot facility opened in January 2010.
In November 2014, the facility was named the Tuohy Basketball Center in honor of former Rebel hoops great Sean Tuohy and his family for their contributions to Ole Miss.
“Thanks so much to Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy for their great gift to create one of the best practice facilities in all of college basketball,” said head coach Kermit Davis, who was amazed at the first class facility when he arrived as the Rebels’ new head coach on March 15, 2018.
The facility includes four distinct spaces - public, staff (coaches), team and individual practice courts for both men’s and women’s teams.
Spaces for the public include an attractive main rotunda/lobby to receive visitors and a multimedia/entertainment meeting room that can be used for press conferences as well as for video presentations and team functions.
The staff/coaches spaces are adjacent to the rotunda/lobby, where receptionists direct visitors to their destinations. A separate entrance for coaches is provided. Coaches’ offices, a conference room, a copy center, and staff locker and dressing facilities complete the suites. The head coaches’ offices provide direct access to and view of their respective practice courts.
The team spaces are specialized with shared weight and training rooms, and separate men’s and women’s film rooms, including computer terminals and video access. Separate team lounges also include computer access, game area and a kitchenette. Finally, there are spacious locker and dressing facilities, with a central laundry, video editing rooms, small guest viewing space of the courts, storage and equipment storage.
Individual practice courts for the men’s and women’s teams eliminate the scheduling conflicts that occur regularly when both teams are sharing one court for all practices and games. Practice courts for each team allow both the men and women to maximize their practice time and achieve their full potential as players. Additional space was included to provide for individual practice of three-point shooting without interrupting others practicing.
Yates Construction was awarded the contract to build the Tuohy Basketball Center on the Ole Miss campus.
“We really appreciate the commitment that Bill Yates and his company have made to Ole Miss Athletics,” said former Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone.
The design team included Mills & Mills Architects, PC (Architect), CGM Group (Mechanical), The Power Source (Electrical), Williams Engineering (Site) and Springer Engineering (Structural).
The facility is located on the corner of Chucky Mullins Drive and Hill Drive, across from the Gillom Sports Center, and within sight of The Pavilion at Ole Miss. With its red brick and white columns matching the campus architecture, the structure is a cornerstone in the impressive complex of athletics facilities on the southwest corner of campus.
