UNT athletics unveils new basketball practice facility

[Harry]

The ribbon was cut for the Ernie Kuehne Basketball Practice Facility on Saturday in front of about 60 people, including the Mean Green men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The new facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the two teams to practice. The gym holds five basketball goals, hardwood floors and locker rooms for the women’s and men’s teams.

The building’s $3 million cost is already paid off largely in part to Ernie Kuehne, the project’s largest donor and a member of the UNT board of regents. Kuehne gave $1.4 million to the project and all $3 million were raised in 30 days.

Kuehne said getting his education at UNT was a big part of his success and that he wanted to leave the university better off than when he got there.

“I believe that a university can’t raise itself unless it raises its athletic program,” Kuehne said. “Athletics is a great part of the college experience. We have to be in a position where we can compete. You can’t compete if you’re playing with a short deck.”

UNT President V. Lane Rawlins, who plans to retire at the end of the year, said that much like the academic faculty needs to be equipped for its job, Mean Green coaches and players do, too.

“Our coaches and our players have to have tools,” Rawlins said. “And this is a major tool for the kind of program that we’re trying to build.”

Read more: http://wordpress1.cws.unt.edu/?p=3911

[akriesman]

Ernie Kuehne. A rare individual and UNT grad who puts his money where his mouth is.

Thank you Mr Kuehne !

[flyonthewall]

Change the word "raised" to "pledged" in thirty days. Change the wording to basketball enhancement fund, which included the goal of practice facility, upgrades to scoreboards in super pit, support of student athlete scholarships, and a fund to support future expenditures on coaching either through change or the need to pay more because of conference realignment, then you would would have an accurate article. Change the amount that Ernie donated, then this have been an accurate article.

The overall premise is good i guess, but it is full of exagerrations and things that just are not true. The practice facility did not cost three million dollars. Does anyone do any fact checking around there or do they even care? It is true that Ernie was the largest donor, I will give the writer that, the rest is just spin, and for the life of me, i don't know why?