Let’s be honest - whereas a nice practice facility was a differentiator once upon a time, it’s table stakes now.

Article in wahington business journal today about filings for this new facility. Construction begins in October 2024 and ends in August 2025. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2023/12/29/gwu-smith-center-basketball-practice-court.html?csrc=6398&taid=659149bd499051000173b713&utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Got around the paywall here is the content of the article:George Washington University has filed plans to decommission the Charles E. Smith Center pool and replace it with a new double-height practice facility for its men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The project, designed by DLR Group, is expected to increase the Smith Center’s gross floor area by 1,485 net square feet, per the application. It will appear from G Street NW as a nine-foot-deep bumpout that generally resembles the existing facade, but with improvements inside and out including insulated glazing, a new high-efficiency HVAC system and LED lighting.
More importantly, GWU writes in its application, the practice facility will “allow the University to remain competitive with its peers” — Georgetown University was approved for similar facilities some 16 years ago — while bringing an end to the existing game of musical chairs across the Foggy Bottom campus that takes place during conflicting events.
“When there are conflicts, practice for the basketball programs is displaced to the Lerner Health and Wellness Center’s courts, which in turns displaces use of those facilities by other members of the University population,” per the application.The bumpout for the new Smith Center practice court will appear like the rest of the facade.The Lerner Health and Wellness Center at 2301 G St. NW serves the general university population but also as a backup for intercollegiate athletics when the Smith Center is unavailable.
The 5,000-seat Smith Center, 600 22nd St. NW, was constructed in the mid-1970s and renovated in 2011. It is the primary athletic facility for the majority of GWU’s intercollegiate athletic programs — so the court is shared between basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and other school events such as concerts and career fairs. As part of the project, which is expected to begin in October 2024 and end by August 2025, the Smith Center’s aging natatorium will be filled in. Aquatic athletic programs will be moved to off-campus facilities, according to the application.
The George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team is 10-2 and in first place in the Atlantic 10 conference. The women's team is in eighth place with a 7-5 overall record. Neither team has started conference play. The Atlantic 10 is in the process of moving its headquarters to D.C.
A hearing before the D.C. Zoning Commission on the practice court project has not yet been scheduled.

Good find.
Don't know how popular the pool was if available to students, outside of teams using it.

Buff&BlueBandit wrote:

Today an email was sent out announcing the cancellation of the proposed Smith Center renovation to create a state of the art basketball practice facility where the pool used to be. For our men's and women's basketball teams, this is a big disappointment. For a proposal that has been in the works since 2020, it's a bit shocking and even distressing it took four years to realize the plan was flawed.

While the email said they are looking at all other options, how much longer will the program have to wait this time.

Hoping for the best but incredibly frustrated by this result. 

I’m stunned! How could all the previous studies and inspections not produce a definitive feasibility answer?
I imagine they had big donors approached and committed. Where is GW’s credibility with them? Is the pool still safe or adequate as a pool? What’s the freaking alternative? I suspect NONE bc if there was one it would be mentioned as something being explored. Really poor!

https://x.com/brooksie1219/status/1781776912529953024

The entire email:

To our loyal alumni, donors and fans,

As you are aware, we have been planning to renovate the Charles E. Smith Center to provide space for a basketball practice facility inside the building. Unfortunately, we recently discovered structural constraints that make the project no longer feasible, and the university has made the difficult decision not to pursue this renovation plan at this time.

In recent weeks, as we advanced a DC Zoning application to proceed with this renovation, our architects and designers provided final assessments for the project. These plans indicated that we would need to undertake extensive, unanticipated additional work within the existing building that would significantly increase the scope and cost of the project while also requiring a more than yearlong closure of our building. We believe this would be too disruptive to our athletes, fans, and broader GW community.

As we noted, this has been a very challenging situation. While we considered the possibility of advancing with the proposed construction, we determined that doing so would not serve anyone’s best interest. We want to reiterate that this late-breaking development has us as disappointed as much as anyone, and we are committed to our pursuit to enhance our facilities for all our athletes.

To that end, the university and GW Athletics are exploring alternative approaches to deliver a state-of-the-art practice facility for our basketball programs that will augment our ability to compete with the nation’s best, while also increasing the availability of the Smith Center for other university and community events.

Additionally, we will continue to seek options for an improved pool experience. The enclosed pool does not best serve our community in its current form, as it limits our ability to host events where all-deep pools are required. The pool area will continue to be used as the home for our aquatics programs as we explore other possibilities.

GW remains committed to the many goals of this project, and our path forward will be determined in the coming months. We are incredibly grateful for the time, support, understanding and patience of all of our stakeholders and most notably you— our loyal alumni, donors and fans. We are steadfastly dedicated to providing the resources, facilities and opportunities for our student-athletes to achieve excellence and pursue championships at the highest levels.

Raise High, GW Revs!

Chris Caputo, Men's Basketball Head Coach
Caroline McCombs, Women's Basketball Head Coach
Tanya Vogel, Director of Athletics

This is just more of the same from GW. It’s sad that both coaches sign the email when they have nothing to do with the decision. The AD should own it and be the focus. Supposedly, there’s a site across from the Smith Center that is plan B. I don’t see D3 in the future but we need better and stronger leadership.

This is just another embarrassment under the Nero/Vogel leadership of the athletic department over the past decade.  I don't understand how Vogel still has a job here outside of being an alum.  I can't think of one thing she has done that inspires confidence that this is the right person for the job.  Outside of the Swimming program, are any of our teams successful?  Have we had one PR win in the past 5 years?

Have to agree that we just have terrible leadership. They are clueless on how to run an Athletic Department. For that matter the whole School Administration has done nothing but make mistakes. Where do we get these people? Sad.

I’ve been wrestling with this the last couple days. I’m coming down of the side of this being completely inexcusable and unacceptable.

What kind of an ass-backwards organization comes up with a concept, sells it hard, raises money off it, and only then does the diligence to see if it’s even feasible?  A fucked up organization with fucked up leaders, that’s what kind of organization.

Another debacle that will take years to fix. Another setback. Another self-inflicted wound.

It’s time.