I don't understand why BU continues to try to pick fights that don't have to be fought.
The latest on Baylor's basketball field house from Mack Rhoades
Riding the wave of a historic season by the Baylor men’s basketball to the first National Championship in program history, Baylor Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades was asked by SicEm365 Radio about the latest update on the basketball field house that was announced back in 2018.
Rhoades, who told SicEm365 Radio prior the the trip to the Final Four and championship game that the new facility could break ground within the next calendar year, provided another update on Tuesday regarding the location of the facility.
“You know, today as of right now, we really don't (have a location), right?” Rhoades said. “It's been out there publicly, right. We've got two sites. We've got the Ferrell Center parking lot side, we've got a city site.”
If the decision was made to place the facility on the “city site” referenced by Rhoades, it would be located on the opposite side of Interstate 35 from the University near Robinson Tower. Rhoades explained the plans to vet this particular location was put on pause when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“Both of [the sites] are great sites,” Rhoades said. “We really started to explore and really the city site became an option really right before COVID. And then you went into COVID and so all of that was was on pause and not a lot of exploration, not a lot of ability to vet because of just circumstances for both the city and certainly Baylor University.”
Over the course of the next month, according to Rhoades, the University will resume the evaluation of both potential locations.
“So we're in this time period right now where I think in the next 30 days we'll really vet and look at both sides closely, and we'll make a decision that's best for the University,” Rhoades said. “It's not just a short term decision, it's a long term decision. I mentioned it earlier today, it's like when you choose a school, right? It's not just a four or five year decision, it's a 30-40 year decision. In this case, it's probably a 50-plus decision. And so we'll continue to vet it, and we'll make the very best decision.”
In a recent article by the Waco Tribune Herald, Baylor women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey voiced that keeping the facility on campus would be best for her program.
“Everybody knows I am totally opposed to taking it downtown,” Mulkey told the Waco Trib. “I am a citizen and I pay taxes and I'm opposed to that location from that standpoint. And I'm a coach who came to Baylor because my office and my facilities are located on campus and that is where I want to remain."
Building at the first the location mentioned by Rhoades, on the parking lot of the Ferrel Center, would allow the basketball facilities for both the men’s and women’s programs to remain on campus.
“I appreciate comments and thoughts and opinions by various stakeholders,” Rhoades said. “Certainly two very, very important people are Scott and Kim's opinion. But at the end of the day the University will make the decision, we'll make the decision what's what's best for the University and for Baylor Athletics.”
Within the last seven years Baylor completed the construction of McLane Stadium (2014) and the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium (2018) on the opposite side of the Brazos River from campus. There is direct access to the facilities from campus via a pedestrian bridge.
“You would hope that whatever decision we make, that everybody is on the same page, and everybody feels good about it,” Rhoades said.
“That's the ultimate goal, and that's what you hope for, but if somehow we we can't get there, then it is what it is. We're again going to make the decision that's best for for the institution. We've talked about this and it starts with me, right? There's no one person bigger than this institution. And across the board. That's me. That's any one of our coaches and any one administrator.”
“This is this is about what's best for Baylor University.”