Texas Tech unveils Womble Basketball facility to the public
After a little more than two years, the wait is over.
The Texas Tech men's and women's basketball teams were ushered into their new eras Thursday afternoon with one snip of the scissors to officially open the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center.
"This is hands-down the top basketball facility in the country," Athletics director Kirby Hocutt said in a Texas Tech news release. "When other athletic programs across the nation describe the ideal basketball facility, there's no doubt in my mind they'll point to the Womble Center. This facility would not have been possible without the support of so many of our donors, including the Womble family, who recognized our vision for our two programs and invested in their futures. We are incredibly grateful for every donor at every level for helping us make this a reality."
Right across the street from United Supermarkets Arena, the Red Raider and Lady Raider players will be able to walk over and enter the state-of-the-art facility which will house practice courts, athletic training rooms, a nutrition location and coaches’ offices among other high-tech recovery equipment.
Back on Jan. 25, 2019, ground broke on what would become a 58,630-square-foot practice facility to be shared by the men's and women's basketball programs. It would also ensure more events could occur inside United Supermarkets Arena, which was shared by the Red Raiders, Lady Raiders and Texas Tech volleyball teams for games, practices and more.
Thanks to the gifts from more than 100 donors — many whose name adorns the building in various spots — the dream of creating a game-changing building came to life.
Dusty and Leisha Womble, along with their family, pledged a $10 million lead gift to The Campaign for Fearless Champions that was used to construct The Dustin R. Womble Basketball Practice Facility. Dusty Womble is also a Texas Tech regent.
"This program has the ability to change lives, it has the ability to unify the community, it has the ability to provide us an identity that is the reason that so many of you are here today," Dusty Womble told a crowd gathered outside the building before they were allowed to tour. "It's very humbling and very inspirational for me to see you here."
With the ribbon-cutting Thursday, The Campaign for Fearless Champions has funded 25 athletic facility projects and has invested more than $200 million into the athletics department. This includes student-athlete resources such as scholarship endowments, nutrition and the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy.
The Womble joined the conversation and includes a 6,500-square-foot strength and conditioning area — one of the largest of its kind in the NCAA that is on-par with similar team headquarters in the NBA.
"It's an incredible venue for our student-athletes to call home," Gerlich said. "It will be like no other in the nation. ... It's just such a great day for Red Raider nation and for men's and women's basketball."
Texas Tech installed Robbins MVP wooden floors in both the men's and women's practice gyms, which is known for minimizing vibration and maximizing uniformity to improves performance, comfort, and safety for athletes. The facility also touts 3,355-square feet of athletic training space, consisting of areas for hydrotherapy and cryotherapy to go along with a physician's exam room and massage and treatment areas.
The Womble Basketball Center also has features 97 television or video monitors throughout the facility — including what's been called a state-of-the-art film room for both teams and 98-inch screens in each players' lounge complete with gaming systems to provide a place to relax.
Sticking with their mantra to develop players, Texas Tech also installed a video coaching system that allows the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders to run a play before going to the video screen to review the performance.
Both gyms also have sound systems and acoustical decking designed to match the decibel levels at United Supermarkets Arena — which is important considering a pair of video boards were mounted for the men's and women's teams to mimic game situations of shooting free throws in critical situations.
Texas Tech is the only school in the country with interactive video boards in its practice gymnasiums.
"This era of athletics is the arms race, and it's everything about recruiting and having the best of the best," Texas Tech associate head coach Barret Peery said. "And I think the efforts that have been made by the people here at Texas Tech show the fact that everybody is all-in with where we want to be and where we're headed."