University of Connecticut Athletics
The Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center opened its doors in October, 2014, giving the UConn men’s and women’s basketball programs one of the finest practice facilities in the country.
Built on the site of what was Memorial Stadium, the former on-campus home of the football Huskies, the Werth Family Champions Center is located on Jim Calhoun Way, adjacent to Gampel Pavilion and provides the UConn men’s and women’s basketball programs each with a place to call their own.
Built at an estimated cost of $40 million, the 78,200-square foot facility consists of two massive and identical wings, containing practice courts, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, athletic training rooms, strength and conditioning areas, areas for sports medicine, film rooms, fully-equipped academic study areas, dining areas, and will be filled with memorabilia celebrating the two programs’ combined 15 national championships and decades of success.
The practice courts for each team include one full-size court and two half-courts and a dedicated free throw shooting basket, equaling eight goals per court. A viewing balcony allows coaches and visitors to observe practices with ample space for video equipment to record practice sessions from an elevated position.
Team locker rooms are state-of-the-art, equipped with spacious individual lockers, each with a combination-lock slide-out closet to house valuables.
There are three meeting rooms in the building and each program has student lounges, featuring space to relax, socialize, play video games, or watch TV. There is a full dining area and buffet style serving area on the second floor, ensuring that the athletes get proper nutrition.
The sports medicine components include areas for testing, hydrotherapy, treatment and taping, doctor’s office, and state-of-the-art rehab equipment. The spacious academic area includes numerous computer-equipped study stations as well as private academic counseling rooms. Combining with The Burton Family Football Complex and Mark R. Shenkman Training Center, just a short walk away, the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center gives the University of Connecticut on-campus practice and training facilities for football and men’s and women’s basketball that rank among the finest in the nation.
