The most important thing is, there’s no longer questions about when it’s going to be built. Every recruit that’s come through the last three or four years have all had that question. The fact these players will know they’ll have a place dedicated to their improvement is important in the process of recruiting future players. Not just for the next couple of years, but for a long time. – Dave Rose
PROVO — BYU coach Dave Rose and many other members of the athletic department were filled with feelings of gratitude, relief and joy Monday.
That’s when the school broke ground on a previously announced 38,000-square foot, two-story Marriott Center Annex, which will be connected to the Marriott Center. It features a much-needed practice facility and other day-to-day services for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
The groundbreaking ceremony capped a long period of speculation, high hopes and hard work. “We’ve had visions of this for years and years,” Rose said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed next fall.
Not only will the Marriott Center Annex provide players and coaches with more space and more comfort, but it is also expected to impact many aspects of the program, including recruiting.
“The most important thing is, there’s no longer questions about when it’s going to be built,” Rose said. “Every recruit that’s come through the last three or four years have all had that question. The fact these players will know they’ll have a place dedicated to their improvement is important in the process of recruiting future players. Not just for the next couple of years, but for a long time.”
Rose found the timing of the groundbreaking ironic, since this week the Cougars are forced out of the Marriott Center, as they are every year at this time, to practice elsewhere due to the annual Christmas Around the World concert.
BYU worked with an architectural firm based in Detroit to create the concept of the Annex. Rose, along with university administrators, traveled to 15-20 facilities around the West — including the one built by the Utah Jazz — to glean ideas.
“You like to take inspiration in all of them,” said senior associate athletic director Brian Santiago. “But we wanted our unique BYU touch on ours. We wanted ours to be different.”
In addition to practice floors, the Annex includes a training room, team rooms, coaches offices, study rooms, a strength and conditioning center and a Hall of Honor to display the rich tradition of BYU basketball.
“All I really wanted was a gym, a floor, a place where we could practice and the guys could have access to,” Rose said. But administrators insisted on building a full-service, state-of-the-art facility.
As per school and LDS Church policies, all the money needed for the project was raised before construction started.
The painstaking process required “raising the funds necessary to not only build the building but to endow it prior to ever taking a shovel to the ground,” Santiago said. “That’s why we’re so grateful for those who put resources forward to make this happen.”
Rose became emotional when talking about the behind-the-scenes efforts of so many people, such as his wife, Cheryl, and those who made generous donations to make the Annex a reality — especially Ruth and Rex Maughan, who contributed the lead gift.
“This is an exciting day for BYU basketball. Our men’s and women’s teams have been very successful, and this new facility will enhance both programs,” said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. “The fact that we’re going to put shovels in the ground is a tribute to passion and vision.”
Holmoe said the example of Tyler Haws, the all-time leading scorer in school history, and his desire to excel, served as an impetus to build this facility.
“I think of a kid that doesn’t understand office hours. You can’t contain him in a practice situation that’s normal,” Holmoe said. “He’s going to practice morning, noon and night, whenever and wherever he can, not necessarily so we can win but so that he can be the very best he can be. Without him, representative of all of our players, I don’t think it would have happened.”
“We have a commitment to excellence that we require from student-athletes and coaches, but it’s also true that we want the preparation to be excellent,” said BYU President Kevin J. Worthen. “That requires that we provide the facilities.”
A few other sites adjacent to the Marriott Center were considered before the administration settled on a piece of land east of the Marriott Center and near the BYU Broadcasting Building.
“This was the place for it,” Santiago said. “We wanted it connected to the Marriott Center. It needed to be connected.”
Ogden's Wadman Corporation was selected as the contractor for the project.
Santiago said the practice floor will be an exact replica of the Marriott Center floor. Having this type of facility enhances the possibility of the school hosting NCAA basketball tournament games, he added.
Among the many donors to the Marriott Center Annex included former BYU players.
“We had some of our former players significantly contribute to this project — both well-known players and lesser-known players,” Santiago said. “That was a big part of it for us. It’s a big selling point when former players get emotionally tied through their own resources to our program. That’s a big win.”
EMAIL: jeffc@deseretnews.com