Some much needed improvements were recently installed in Dorough Field House and Pinholster Court as the athletic facility continues its face lift.

The field house saw a major cosmetic overhaul with the “Black Top” court in 2015, but the newest additions will serve more practical purposes. Two LED scoreboards, one large and one small, LED shot clocks, backboards and rims have all been replaced and installed to update the hardware.

“With our beautiful wooden cathedral ceiling, and our unique black court, which I think is the best in the country, we already had an awesome gym,” said head men’s basketball coach Philip Ponder. “These additions are a huge upgrade and now make this a phenomenal playing facility.”

Functionality of the large scoreboard will include player points and fouls for basketball, and player digs and kills for volleyball.  A brand new scorer’s table and new padded chairs will also be arriving in the next couple of weeks. Scoreboards in the field house have not been updated since a major renovation in 1979.

“These upgrades to our facility were certainly needed in order to compete with the other facilities within our conference and the rest of the country,” added head women’s basketball coach Alex Richey ’11. “We cannot wait to have our student body in the stands this year and beyond, supporting our respective programs with an enhanced fan experience due to these upgrades.”

A group of men’s basketball alumni helped raise half the necessary funds for the project. Development and Alumni Relations and matching funds from the university helped to see the project through the final phases.

“We truly are grateful for a number of people for making this vision a reality and want to be sure to include a special thank you to Athletic Director Becky Hall, Lance Knight, Norman McKay, John Carr and President Schall for their hard work and support on this project,” Richey said.

Ponder sees the gift and upgrades as part of what makes the program so great. “There may be some bigger and newer gyms out there, but our gym is so unique and has character. I wouldn’t trade it for any gym that we have ever played in.”