Ad Disclosure
Will Alabama’s basketball momentum accelerate a Coleman Coliseum renovation? Greg Byrne weighs in
By Keith Farner
Published:
Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum has been due for a renovation for many years, and the current momentum Nate Oats’ men’s basketball program is enjoying this season just may be what it takes to turn the tide for upgrades.
Byrne on Friday updated the school’s plans to address the aging arena, and said in an interview with Roger Hoover that there is “a lot of momentum” with the 11th-ranked men’s basketball program and upgrading the facility is a priority.
“One of the worst things we can do is not take advantage of momentum,” Byrne said during a school-produced interview. “We are continuing fundraising conversations. We do need to have a financial model that works long term. We need to be able to take it to our trustees, and obviously (school president) Dr. (Stuart) Bell and our chancellor, Finis St. John, and make sure it’s a model that they can sign off on for the long-term health of the program.”
The university announced in 2018 that the venue would undergo about a $115 million renovation as early as 2022 as part of a larger $600 million fundraising campaign, AL.com reported. The first phase of that campaign included renovations to Bryant-Denny Stadium last summer.
The pandemic has caused changes to the financial climate in college athletics, but Byrne has maintained that it is a priority.
Byrne told AL.com in an interview last February that upgrading Coleman Coliseum remained a priority, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic weeks later changed the financial situation of the athletics department.
“I know the question everybody asks about is Coleman Coliseum. We said all along that was Phase II. That has not changed,” Byrne said Friday. “Obviously, we have some financial realities we’re dealing with. We have a $75 million shortfall we talked about very publicly this year. We haven’t had to cut any programs. We haven’t furloughed anybody. But we have done a hiring freeze for a lot of positions. I think we’re down 18 positions right now as a department.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
