Indiana Athletics officially opened the Roberts Family Indiana Basketball Team Center in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday afternoon. The completed project includes new two newly-named areas in the men’s basketball space - the Andy Mohr Locker Room and the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room, as well a new coaches annex and .
“Dave and Susan Roberts have made a lasting impact on our men’s basketball program courtesy of their generous gift that made this new facility a reality,” IU Athletics Director Fred Glass said in a statement. “We are thrilled that the center is named for Dave and Susan in recognition of their long-standing support of Indiana University Athletics.”
The new space spans more than 4,000 square feet in the Southeast portion of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was unveiled to head coach Archie Miller and the Hoosier team Thursday and offers Hoosier players, coaches, managers and staff "a state-of-the-art space that will be the envy of any other purported similar facility in the country." Within the space are the Andy Mohr Locker Room; the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge; the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room; and the Basketball Coaches annex.
“As a program we want our players to experience the best of the best, and as we took inventory on how we wanted to do things as a new staff, one of the things we really approached was a new area for our team and creating an environment that is cutting edge and second to none,” Miller said. “I think that’s what we have been able to create here.”
The new training space – the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room, named after the team's longtime athletic trainer who enters his 38th season with the program - comes with state-of-the-art equipment and was made possible "thanks to contributions from a handful of unnamed donors and friends of the men’s basketball program," according to the release.
The Andy Mohr Locker Room, meanwhile, provides Hoosier players an expansive space, new lockers, and "other first-rate amenities to utilize on game days and throughout the season."
Mohr also made a major gift which made the new softball field possible. The facility opened in the spring of 2013.
“It’s only fitting that our new men’s basketball athletic training room be named after Tim, whose contributions to the program and the athletic training profession in general are impossible to quantify,” Glass said. “For 38 years, Indiana University has been extremely fortunate to have the absolute best in the business caring for its men’s basketball players. The naming of the space in Tim’s honor is a well-deserved tribute to Tim for his exemplary work and years of service.
“My good friend Andy Mohr continues to impact Indiana University and IU Athletics in profound ways, both through his service and his generosity. We greatly appreciate his continued support and involvement and are honored to name the locker room in his honor.”
The Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge is a players lounge named after former Indiana All-Americans and current NBA standouts Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller.
“It means a lot to be able to give back to not only the school but to future players as well,” said Oladipo, who earned third-team All-NBA honors and the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after averaging 23.1 points and an NBA-best 2.4 steals last season for the Indiana Pacers. “Players did the same thing for us before we got there and now we are doing the same. Hopefully it continues the rise of Indiana Basketball.”
“A few months ago Vic and I were given the opportunity to help out with the locker room project at Assembly Hall. First of all, we were humbled by the opportunity, and secondly we are very blessed to be in a position where we can give back,” Zeller said. “We hope this project will help the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall remain at the top, and we hope it will enable players in the future to enjoy the same experience Vic and I did when we were in Bloomington.”
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