Now that the UM Champions Center is complete, athletic department administrators are turning their attention to a major facilities upgrade for men’s basketball with renovated locker rooms and other upgrades.

Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Events, Chuck Maes provides details.

“We’re in Phase Two of our facilities project,” said Maes. “This originally started with the Champions Center and now we’re able to work on the men’s basketball locker rooms renovated. We’ll put that where the old weight room was, and once that’s done we’ll start doing the equipment room and move it to where the old football locker room was, and that will open up Phase 2 to remodel the women’s area, so that all our sports will end up getting much improved locker rooms.”

Maes said a new equipment room is a must for the athletic department.

“The equipment room is where all the athletes visit every day,” he said. “They pick up their practice gear every day and then return it after practice so it gets washed and cleaned and brought back to them. Any issue with gear, such as shoes or anything else all goes through the equipment room which supplies all our athletic teams with uniforms and everything else they need to compete.”

Maes described the time frame for the improvements.

“Right now, all we’re looking at is the men’s basketball area,” he said. “It’s been approved by the Board of Regents and we’re in the process of hiring some architects in the next two to three weeks, Hopefully, by early spring we can start on the locker room area, get that demoed, and we hope to have that ready to go by next year.”

According to a press release:

‘Funding for the $2 million project will come entirely from private support. In June, the Montana Board of Regents approved the project, and now the department is in the process of selecting an architect. Construction on the project will begin in April, once basketball season is complete, and will be ready next fall in time for the 2020-21 basketball season. Montana is in the home stretch of the fundraising campaign, and is nearly to its $2 million goal to complete the project. Even with great response, Montana is still looking for financial help to bridge the gap and stay on the timeline. Those interested in learning more about donating, including the opportunity to purchase a locker with your name on it, can contact Dan Ingram at (406) 243-6294 or via email.’

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