Boosters help in the Hendricks Complex

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Boosters helped make Nebraska athletic facility top-flight

By Lee Barfknecht, WORLD-HERALD BUREAU, PUBLISHED SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012 AT 1:00 AM / UPDATED AT 11:09 PM

LINCOLN — Nebraska men's basketball: a national leader. For nearly a century, those words were ineligible to be written about this longtime stumbling program. Then came completion last fall of the $18.7 million Hendricks Training Complex. This hoops palace — part Vegas sports bar and part Rodeo Drive fitness center — has vaulted Nebraska, which last won an outright conference championship 96 years ago, into a believe-it-or-not level of basketball prestige.

The NBA's Chicago Bulls, planning their own new practice facility, recently made Lincoln the first stop for their executive team seeking construction guidance. Meanwhile, coaches at nationally elite AAU programs — a rare sight in Lincoln — are now escorting their top players here for a visit. Current Husker senior Brandon Ubel is one of the tour guides. “We've had Top 100 recruits in here — guys who have seen a lot of places — and they say this is the best,” Ubel said. “They come in and their eyes light up. How could they not light up? It's an amazing facility.”

Yet, as Nebraska fans know, nothing comes easily to men's basketball. Six months into construction of the building that has earned NU national buzz, the two key boosters behind the project cast a critical eye on its progress. They came away less than impressed. “I thought we were building an average practice facility,” said Neal Hawks, a Dallas real estate developer and son of NU regent and longtime Husker athletic contributor Howard Hawks. “It was going to be nice, but I thought we could do better.”

Neal Hawks' frame of reference for such buildings comes from a lesser-known family tie. He is a brother-in-law of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (the two men's wives are sisters). Cuban has spent millions of his personal fortune on facilities often cited as the NBA's best, and Hawks has inside knowledge of them and others in that league. Howard Hawks, during his first in-depth look at early work on the Hendricks Complex, also furrowed his brow.

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Excellent article on the Hendricks Complex.

We're lucky to have boosters like the Hawks and others--folks who can throw some major coin at NU to help overhaul our basketball program.

 
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Especially interesting since Neal Hawks was publicly stumping to keep Doc. In spite of that, T.O. made what looks to be the right call. And to his credit, it looks like Neal is now on board with Smiles as well.

Kudos to all..........

 
Interesting read. Now I see why Doc was crying so hard when he was fired. You'll never find facilities like this at your next coaching job

 
I didn't realize they had made that much of a commitment to upgrading the facilities, now I'm more enthusiastic about the future than ever. No, it's not all about facilities but they sure don't hurt when you're trying to sell the program to top recruits.

 
The Huskers have spent more than $200 million on a new training center and 16,000-seat arena, the latter of which is set to open next year.LINK
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From the recent espn Tim Miles article it sounds like UNL spent a lot more than the $18.7 million mentioned in the OP article. Like 10X as much.

 
Blackshirts007 said:
NUance said:
The Huskers have spent more than $200 million on a new training center and 16,000-seat arena, the latter of which is set to open next year.LINK
Click to expand...
From the recent espn Tim Miles article it sounds like UNL spent a lot more than the $18.7 million mentioned in the OP article. Like 10X as much.
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That 200 mil includes the arena...
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The City of Lincoln is paying for the arena though, not the Huskers/UNL.

 
The City of Lincoln is paying for the arena though, not the Huskers/UNL.

More accurately..........the CITIZENS of Lincoln ...........(I know it's seems picky, but sometimes we tend to think of entities rather than actual people doing the paying)

 
Omaha-Husker said:
Blackshirts007 said:
NUance said:
The Huskers have spent more than $200 million on a new training center and 16,000-seat arena, the latter of which is set to open next year.LINK
Click to expand...
From the recent espn Tim Miles article it sounds like UNL spent a lot more than the $18.7 million mentioned in the OP article. Like 10X as much.
Click to expand...
That 200 mil includes the arena...
Click to expand...
The City of Lincoln is paying for the arena though, not the Huskers/UNL.
Click to expand...
Well in any case that article is including both. There is no possible way that Hendricks cost $200,000,000

 
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