REVISED SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

FOR INFORMATION ON ORDERING SECTIONS OF THE WAR MEMORIAL GYM FLOOR, CLICK HERE!

May 13, 2009

War Memorial Gym Renovation Photo Gallery

Week Seven Video

Painting the War Memorial Gym Floor

(San Francisco) - USF Athletics honors a remarkable past and prepares for the next generation with a major renovation in War Memorial Gym. Work began Monday, May 11 on the installation of a new hardwood floor on the arena level of War Memorial Gym. The home for the Dons' men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball programs celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2008-09 season. This will be the first floor replacement done since the arena opened in 1958-59.

 

"I am very excited about the significant investment that the university has made to athletics and our sports programs," USF Athletic Director Debra Gore-Mann said. "Updating and upgrading the gym floor is a step towards overall facilities improvements."

In addition to the floor's installation, new NCAA and conference championship banners will be hung celebrating the legacy and tradition of USF's basketball and volleyball programs. All the bleachers on the arena level will be temporarily removed to accommodate the floor replacement in the "House That Russell Built".

USF Athletics will be preserving the old playing surface and plans are in the works for designing and creating mementos and keepsakes of the historic floor. For more information on obtaining your own section of the War Memorial Gym floor, please contact USF Associate Athletic Director for External Relations Eric Dumbleton at (415) 422-6006 or edumbleton@usfca.edu.

During the renovations to the War Memorial Gym playing surface, fans, alumni and supporters of USF Athletics can check on the progress at USFDons.com. A photo gallery will showcase the steps in the process and a live webcam will be available to chart the construction in real time.

If the floor could talk... War Memorial Gym has served as a training facility for multiple USA Basketball National Teams, including two "Dream Team" squads prior to competition in the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games. In addition to being used as a practice facility for many NBA teams visiting the Bay Area, War Memorial Gym has hosted boxing events, concerts, political rallies and was the site of a visit by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in 2003.

USF men's basketball head coach Rex Walters played in open gyms during the summer months growing up in the Bay Area and has great memories of playing on the War Memorial Gym hardwood.

"Even as a youngster growing up, playing at USF you realized what a great floor it is and you realize how many great players played on the floor," Walters said. "It's sad to see it go, but it shows what we are trying to do here as a program. We're trying to provide our student-athletes with the best facilities possible. It will be fun to watch the gym change as we do things besides the floor with the new banners. War Memorial Gym is a great place for basketball, a great place for tradition and the fact that we're making steps to make our home a better home court excites me."

USF women's head basketball coach Tanya Haave welcomes the addition of a new floor and how it will help her team.

"Getting the new floor and additional improvements to War Memorial Gym is another step towards updating our facility," Haave said. "War Memorial is a great arena and it's a step in the right direction towards creating a state-of-the-art facility for the entire department."

USF volleyball head coach Gilad Doron led his squad to the NCAA Tournament in his second season on the Hilltop and also welcomes the change.

"I am happy with the commitment that the University and the athletic department have made towards taking the necessary steps in creating a state-of-the-art facility for our program, as well as for the men's and women's basketball teams," Doron said. "In these times, it means a lot for USF to make the necessary improvements to remain a top West Coast Conference contender. I believe it will add to our program's home court advantage and I look forward towards playing on the new floor in the fall."

If the floor could talk... Bobby Kennedy campaigned in War Memorial Gym during the 1968 Presidential election.

In five decades of service, War Memorial Gym has hosted a vast array of star players from the prep, collegiate, international and professional ranks and many coaching icons have paced the sidelines. Although the Dons celebrated 1955-56 back-to-back NCAA Championship teams never played in the arena, future Naismith Hall-of-Famers Bill Russell and K.C. Jones practiced and coached in the facility as members of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Russell was on hand for the groundbreaking of the facility.

If the floor could talk... Three members of the 800 coaching victory club - Bobby Knight (902), Jim Phelan (830) and Eddie Sutton (803) - coached games at War Memorial Gym.

NOTABLE MOMENTS AT WAR MEMORIAL GYM
- Elgin Baylor's Seattle University took on USF December 4, 1958 in the first game ever played at War Memorial Gym. The Chieftans posted a 60-58 decision over the Dons in a barnburner.
- Site of the first nationally televised college basketball game when Dominique Wilkins' Georgia team came to the Hilltop November 28, 1981. The Dons posted a 92-84 victory against the Bulldogs live on CBS.
- Three-time USF All-American Mary Hile became the all-time leading scorer in USF basketball history (men and women) with a bucket against UC Santa Barbara January 29, 1981. Hile finished her career with 2,324 points.
- All-American Quintin Dailey and 1987 West Coast Conference Player of the Year Teri Hunt share the Dons top scoring mark in War Memorial Gym with 42 points. Dailey accomplished the feat against Pepperdine February 27, 1982, while Hunt turned in the only 40-point game in USF women's basketball history with a 42-point outburst against San Diego January 31, 1987.
- USF career kills leader Kristin Hasselberg recorded the most kills in a single-match by a Don at War Memorial Gym with 33 in a victory against North Carolina September 3, 2005. Hasselberg finished with 1,530 career kills.
- USF women's basketball hosted the first postseason tournament game in the facility when it welcomed USC for the opening round of the 2002 WNIT Postseason Tournament.
- USF men's basketball hosted the first postseason men's basketball tournament game in the facility in the 2004 NIT Tournament when it hosted Denver in opening round action.

If the floor could talk... Boosted by an All-American frontline - Winford Boynes, Bill Cartwright and James Hardy - the Dons shattered the single-season attendance record at War Memorial Gym in 1976-77 with 67,693 (5,207/13 games) fans going through the turnstiles. The Dons opened the season at 29-0.

If the floor could talk... Multiple NBA Most Valuable players have competed or practiced at War Memorial Gym, including: Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, USF legend Bill Russell and Bill Walton. Steve Nash played on the floor while at West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara and also practiced at the facility as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

VOICES FROM THE PAST: Jim Brovelli, USF Hall of Fame Player (1961-63); Head Coach (1985-95) "It was the best basketball floor - at least in the Bay Area. It's a great shooting floor. It had great spring on it and you can also remember that it's been there for a long time. It reminds you of the old floor at the Boston Garden. It's that special because so many great players played on it. The (Philadelphia) Warriors, when they first came out, practiced at USF. Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond both played on the floor and Wilt came out, even when he was with Kansas. Of course you had all the All-Americans that played here with Billy Cartwright and that group and of course we had some great tournaments here. It's a special, special floor and no matter how old it was, all the teams that came in here loved it and it was a great place to play and of course the tradition of War Memorial Gymnasium is one of the best in the country."

If the floor could talk... Just four seasons after restarting the basketball program at USF, Jim Brovelli's Dons shocked Digger Phelps' Notre Dame Irish by a score of 79-75 January 7, 1989 at War Memorial Gym.

Brittanie Budinger, USF Volleyball - Retired Number, Legend of the Hilltop (2000-03) "We took advantage of what we had in terms of our flooring. I noticed the difference most of all when playing in other gyms (like St. Mary's at that time) and it felt like you were landing on cement. Your feet stung when you landed and diving for a ball wasn't as forgiving. In War Memorial the landings were softer. It didn't hurt your knees, ankles or feet. I've played on many gym floors in my life, all around the world, and I would have to say USF rates top of my list in terms of springiness. Just playing in this last spring's USF tournament, I walked into the gym and the first thing I noticed was how high I could get off the floor."

Mary Hile-Nepfel, USF Women's Basketball - All-American player (1977-81); Head Coach (1987-2006) "For 23 years, Memorial Gym was "my home, away from home." I spent countless hours on that floor either making myself a better player or my team a better team. I always said the best thing about Memorial Gym is the floor. It is so "soft" on your legs. The atmosphere at Memorial Gym when it is full, is the best in the conference! The fans are on top of you and crowd noise is deafening. The most memorable game for me as a player was the night I broke the scoring record against UC Santa Barbara in 1981. The most memorable game as a coach was the night we beat Portland for the regular season conference championship in 1995 in overtime! Memorial Gym is what college gyms are supposed to be... cozy, loud, and with a sense of nostalgia."

If the floor could talk... Led by three-time All-American Mary Hile, USF women's basketball constructed a remarkable 19-game home winning streak lasting nearly one calendar year from January 10, 1980 to January 7, 1981. Mary Hile-Nepfel and Bill Nepfel later directed the Dons to 13 consecutive home victories during the 1995-96 season.