Remodeled locker rooms a mark of progress for program

By Cliff Kirkpatrick


Corvallis Gazette-Times

A major cosmetic change in Gill Coliseum occurred in the offseason for the Oregon State men’s basketball team.

The locker room was redone, expanded and designed with the modern-day athlete in mind. The project cost more than $500,000, coach Jay John said, but he believes it is worth every penny.

It was the second of three major phases John envisions for the home of his program. As they are accomplished, he believes the Beavers will attract better talent and be more competitive in the Pacific-10 Conference.

The promise of what’s to come already lured in Josh and Seth Tarver, who were two of the top in-state prospects.

“It’s extremely nice,” senior center Kyle Jeffers said. “It’s a great place to just relax, watch TV and hang out. Our locker rooms were pretty cramped before. It’s a lot more spacious. He’s done a great job improving the program, even though we haven’t been winning like we should have.”

When John arrived at OSU a little more than four years ago the plan was to build an annex for a glossy practice facility. He went with the flow because he was trying to revive a dormant program on the court.

By his second season John realized the annex wasn’t the most important development for the program. As he put it, the main home should be the focus, not the guest house.

And since the big-money donation for the annex never came through, OSU changed the project to a weight room, wrestling room and eventually an auxiliary practice area for basketball. And it will be done in parts.

“When the annex didn’t go up, I felt it was just one of those white lies they tell just to get you here,” Jeffers said. “It became a joke when it never went up. But as time has gone on, coach John has done a good job of improving things around Gill. The locker room was a big improvement.”

The need for a makeover became more evident when OSU focused on rebuilding Reser Stadium next door. The final product displayed Park Avenue next to Skid Row.

“The most important thing was the presentation on a 48-hour visit for recruits, as well as the presentation for my own players,” John said. “New always sells no matter what it is. I felt having the building you live and play in looking upscale was more important than an annex.”

Realizing an all new arena wasn’t going to happen, and most of OSU’s resources were going into the football stadium, John went about fundraising and working in steps.

The first one was stripping the carpet off the hallways in Gill Coliseum, decorating it and adding lighting. It was a cold, dark and depressing place for recruits and those working in the building. The ceiling in the arena was painted a lighter color.

Old-world charm wasn’t cutting it anymore.

“I want my guys to have that extra bounce in their step,” John said. “The new hallway lightens and brightens. When all the walls get hung with memorabilia and the foyer gets done, it’s going to look even better. That’s step one.”

Next came the new locker room.

The old one was tight. Players had to duck to avoid hitting their heads and there was little ventilation.

The infrastructure was fixed, but now it has the look to compete with other colleges and NBA facilities. Recent OSU teams played in various NBA arenas, so John took notes and asked players what they liked.

“My intent when designing it was my players or recruits won’t see another locker room any better,” John said. “We wanted a situation where the guys would feel comfortable being there all day long. It’s their own place. I get tremendous joy seeing guys in there. I feel we achieved our goal. And with respect to recruiting, we’ve improved the areas kids want to see.”

Graphics line the wall, creating a museum of OSU history. An elaborate trophy case serves as a reminder of where the program was in its heyday. Autographs of former coaches are in the wood.

A film room was added for the team to study opponents. Next to it is a study room for academics. Beyond that is a lounge with two huge wall-mounted flat-screen televisions and an Xbox 360.

The lockers are twice the former size with Internet hookups. Athletes have room to spread out and enough storage space that their gear doesn’t litter the floor.

“When we got this it showed that we are coming together,” Jeffers said. “Coach John is getting great players to the program and he’s improving things. Recruits come through here all the time, and they are in awe. It’s a goal to have to come here. Not many locker rooms are as nice as this.”

The final nip and tuck of this phase will be remodeling the shower and bathroom area.

And then it’s on to the outside of Gill Coliseum. There are plans to give the 57-year-old building a face lift.

That is a long-term project with plenty of fundraising ahead because that much Botox doesn’t come cheap.

“My hope for my freshman is they play their senior years in a renovated Gill Coliseum,” John said. “It’s baby steps.”