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PITTSBURG —
Alan Whetzel never played in John Lance Arena when he was on the Pittsburg State basketball team. He could not have left his mark as an athlete on a building that did not exist at the time.
But Whetzel and his wife Roberta, a former PSU cheerleader herself, announced Tuesday that they would leave their mark on the arena in a different way.
The couple have announced a donation of $1.2 million for the renovation of John Lance Arena that will transform the facility.
"I learned the importance of teamwork, leadership and preparation," Whetel said. "For Roberta and me, our lives really began at Pittsburg State University. We want to help students have the same wonderful type of experiences we had and have the tools that they need to be successful."
The gift will help pay for an overhaul of both the seating, flooring and overall look of John Lance Arena. Starting after the spring commencement on May 12, crews will begin to tear out the current seating. Work to remove the existing flooring has already begun, with curing of the existing concrete expected to be completed by commencement.
The Whetzels made two requests of Pittsburg State athletic director Jim Johnson. One of the requests was to bring in more basketball goals, so players have more hoops on which to practice. But the second is perhaps the showpiece of the improvements — 31,000 square feet of maple hardwood courts. That amount of flooring will make way for three full basketball courts and as many as seven volleyball courts.
"Alan told me that, 'When I walk in those doors, I want to be able to see maple hardwood floor wall to wall.' We're going to make that happen," Johnson said.
New seating will also be installed to replace the bench-style seating with individual seating. Improvements on the mezzanine level as part of this phase are still being considered.
One of the challenges of the renovation will be completing the work on a timeline. Between the spring commencement and the start of the 2012 volleyball season, all work on John Lance Arena will have to be completed.
The improvements to the arena are just one phase of a bigger project — the renovation and expansion of the Weede Physical Education Building. This first phase involves new flooring, seating and aesthetics in John Lance Arena. The second phase, which is still in the works for both fundraising and planning, would be the creation of an indoor track/event center/practice facility attached to the Weede. The third phase involves renovating the remaining portion of the Weede with improved weight rooms, film rooms, a Hall of Fame Room, and more.
Alan Whetzel never played in John Lance Arena when he was on the Pittsburg State basketball team. He could not have left his mark as an athlete on a building that did not exist at the time.
But Whetzel and his wife Roberta, a former PSU cheerleader herself, announced Tuesday that they would leave their mark on the arena in a different way.
The couple have announced a donation of $1.2 million for the renovation of John Lance Arena that will transform the facility.
"I learned the importance of teamwork, leadership and preparation," Whetel said. "For Roberta and me, our lives really began at Pittsburg State University. We want to help students have the same wonderful type of experiences we had and have the tools that they need to be successful."
The gift will help pay for an overhaul of both the seating, flooring and overall look of John Lance Arena. Starting after the spring commencement on May 12, crews will begin to tear out the current seating. Work to remove the existing flooring has already begun, with curing of the existing concrete expected to be completed by commencement.
The Whetzels made two requests of Pittsburg State athletic director Jim Johnson. One of the requests was to bring in more basketball goals, so players have more hoops on which to practice. But the second is perhaps the showpiece of the improvements — 31,000 square feet of maple hardwood courts. That amount of flooring will make way for three full basketball courts and as many as seven volleyball courts.
"Alan told me that, 'When I walk in those doors, I want to be able to see maple hardwood floor wall to wall.' We're going to make that happen," Johnson said.
New seating will also be installed to replace the bench-style seating with individual seating. Improvements on the mezzanine level as part of this phase are still being considered.
One of the challenges of the renovation will be completing the work on a timeline. Between the spring commencement and the start of the 2012 volleyball season, all work on John Lance Arena will have to be completed.
The improvements to the arena are just one phase of a bigger project — the renovation and expansion of the Weede Physical Education Building. This first phase involves new flooring, seating and aesthetics in John Lance Arena. The second phase, which is still in the works for both fundraising and planning, would be the creation of an indoor track/event center/practice facility attached to the Weede. The third phase involves renovating the remaining portion of the Weede with improved weight rooms, film rooms, a Hall of Fame Room, and more.
All told, these three phases are expected to cost close to $12 million. In addition to the $1.2 million gift by the Whetzels, students will also contribute close to $3 million for the project after approving a referendum on a student fee increase earlier this spring.
Until the event center/indoor track can be funded and completed (current estimate for completion date: January 2014), the indoor track team will be a bit displaced. However, when all projects are completed, the entire complex will be used not just for basketball, volleyball, track and practicing, but also for hosting youth wrestling tournaments, outdoor shows, interview days and more.
"Any time you have multiple sports using a facility, you want to take advantage of the square footage," said Dan Wilkes, associate athletic director. "We will have one of the larger venues with a committed 31,000 square feet of wall-to-wall hardwood floor. This is the same hardwood surfacing that is being used in [the University of Kansas's] Allen Fieldhouse."
Pittsburg State President Steve Scott spoke about the support the community has for the institution, not only through athletics, but through supporting projects such as the Bryant Student Health Center, the Student Recreation Center and the Tyler Research Center in the recent past.
But Tuesday was about thanking the Whetzels for helping to put the university's basketball and volleyball facility on a different level.
"Although we still have much work to do, it is important to recognize those who provide leadership for projects such as these, and to celebrate the milestones in our journey," Scott said. "Alan and Roberta have helped us move forward on the path toward a new Weede Athletic Complex and Indoor Event Facility. There has never been a better time to join them and the many other donors who are bringing us ever closer to providing a state-of-the-art athletic facility that will truly allow Pittsburg State to become 'the best of the best.'"
For more, read tomorrow's Morning Sun to see how the student-athletes and coaches will use the renovated John Lance Arena. Also, keep an eye on morningsun.net for a video of Tuesday's announcement.
