After months of construction and years of planning, Seton Hall’s new Basketball Performance Center is preparing to open its doors.
On Feb. 17, SHU’s men’s basketball Instagram account posted a video that gave the university community a first look at the performance center. This sneak peek highlighted the new amenities that the team will be able to utilize.
These amenities include a new basketball court, a modern strength and conditioning area, a film room, and more, according to a description of the facility on the SHU website.
Many former players commented on the post saying they’re ready to visit, like Al-Amir Dawes, who was named the National Invitation Tournament’s (NIT’s) Most Outstanding Player after SHU’s tournament win last season.
“Can’t wait to come back and train in my house,” Dawes commented on the post.
Located within the Richie Regan Recreation & Athletic Center, the construction of the performance center is part of a 10-year master plan to improve athletics and recreational facilities on campus.
Bryan Felt, director of athletics and recreation, said the center is open and being utilized by the men’s basketball team for practice and training. A ribbon cutting and blessing will be held on March 26 at 5:30 p.m., hosted by the university and athletics department.
Felt also said that the project provides enhancements for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
“Over the course of the last decade, all our programs have benefited from renovations that have enhanced their experience,” Felt said. “Completing the Basketball Performance Center now allows our programs and student-athletes to take better advantage of existing spaces within the Richie Regan Athletic Center.”
Multiple sports facilities are part of the ongoing project to improve athletics and recreational facilities on campus.
“The renovation to the field house was completed at the start of the fall 2024 semester,” said Laurie Pine, associate director of media relations. “And work is continuing within Walsh Gymnasium, where we are upgrading the women’s basketball spaces.”
With the performance center now open, students in Prof. B.J. Schecter and Prof. Jen Maxfield’s production and broadcast news classes filmed a segment for FOX Sports at the Basketball Performance Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19. They sat down with players on the men’s basketball team to hear their thoughts on the center and were taken on a tour of the facility by Felt, which was also filmed. The segment is scheduled to air on one of FOX’s platforms in the near future.
Players on the men’s basketball team were not available for comment for this story, but Peter Long, associate athletics director for digital media and communications, discussed the benefits of the performance center for student-athletes.
“Our student-athletes will greatly benefit from utilizing state-of-the-art space that will help them compete for championships and maximize their personal potential,” Long said. “Our basketball teams having the resources they need to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics can further unite students, alumni, and Pirates fans across the world.”
In May 2020, The Setonian reported that the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority (NJEFA) approved the preliminary purchase of two revenue bonds from SHU which would generate nearly $109 million in capital for the university. The purchase of these bonds allowed the university to raise money for several construction and renovation projects both on and off campus, including the new basketball facility.
“The Basketball Performance Center was made possible through private philanthropy from our generous alumni and bonds secured at historically low interest rates,” Pine said.
Felt said that this project will be key to teams’ success in the future, particularly for enlisting new players.
“We have been working towards giving our student-athletes resources that will help them compete for Big East and national championships and giving our coaches another tool to use to recruit outstanding students to come to Seton Hall,” he said.
The men’s basketball team won the NIT championship in April 2024, giving SHU its second NIT title in program history. After not being chosen for the NCAA tournament, the team proved it was a contender with a 79-77 victory over Indiana State and an overall 25–12 season record, the most since the Pirates’ 25-win Big East Tournament championship season in 2015-16.
This season, however, the Pirates enter the 2025 Big East tournament 7–23 overall. This came after Shaheen Holloway began his third season as head coach with a new roster after several key players entered the transfer portal. The first round of the tournament is set for March 12.
AD Bryan Felt gives students a tour of the Basketball Performance Center for a FOX Sports segment | Photo via Jen Maxfield | The Setonian
B.J. Schecter, executive director of the Center for Sports Media, said that this state-of-the-art facility is a positive development for prospective basketball recruits.
“Our facilities here at Seton Hall are subpar,” Schecter said. “Compared to the rest of the Big East, most basketball programs in our conference have separate basketball practice facilities.”
Schecter added that the new facility will “level the playing field” with SHU’s competitors.
It is not only university staff and administrators who believe the performance center will improve future recruitment, but students as well.
Mason Bashkoff, a sophomore double majoring in sport management and marketing and a member of Pirate Sports Network (PSN), said he believed the men’s basketball program would be able to recruit more effectively with this new performance center.
“With a new and improved basketball facility, our program can compete with other big programs around the country in terms of visual and physical appeal to the prospective athlete,” Bashkoff said. “This [facility], in turn, can help land higher profile athletes and strengthen our basketball programs. Everyone likes when the teams win.”
Despite the excitement the performance center has generated, the project has also come with its challenges.
During Hurricane Ida in 2021, SHU’s neighbors in the Ivy Hill neighborhood in Newark faced devastating flooding. In a Nov. 2022 article, The Setonian reported that members of the community accused SHU and its ongoing expansion of exacerbating the damage.
According to the article, the Ivy Hill Flood Report, a community group, claimed that SHU’s stormwater flows into Newark’s 18th century infrastructure, with the university’s construction projects overwhelming the city’s groundwork and causing water—possibly contaminated by raw sewage—to flood dozens of homes in the neighborhood.
After SHU applied to the South Orange Planning Board for approval to develop the new basketball facility, members of the Iv Hill community were concerned that this construction would lead to more flooding.
This caused the university to postpone the initial public hearing for its application and to instead hold community meetings with Ivy Hill residents. Following these discussions, SHU took several steps that had been requested by its neighbors, such as agreeing to participate in a joint stormwater study.
When asked by The Setonian for any updates on the Ivy Hill community’s concerns with the announcement of the completed performance center, Pine explained how SHU “remains committed to collaborating with the community and its leaders to address concerns and find solutions as we enhance our campus, including facilities for the community’s benefit.”
“The Basketball Performance Center was approved after thorough consideration by the South Orange Planning Board and the study undertaken by the City of Newark, which confirmed that due to Seton Hall’s voluntary actions (i.e., the institution of retention and drainage systems 25% larger than requirements as well as the implementation of a series of other infrastructural and engineering solutions), the facility will help mitigate existing water runoff and reduce flooding in the Ivy Hill neighborhood,” she said.
Matthew Gupta, a sophomore double majoring in finance and information technology management, hosts the “Hoopin’ With The Hall” podcast alongside peers on Spotify, which focuses on SHU’s basketball programs. He said he was concerned about the reduction of recreation space.
“As the only indoor recreation space on campus for students, it severely cut down on rec space once the practice facility was built up,” he said.
University officials responded to these concerns in a statement to The Setonian.
“As part of the 10-year plan to enhance fitness, recreation, and athletic spaces on campus for the entire student body, we first expanded the recreation space with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Fitness Center, greatly expanding the amount of workout space for the general student body compared to the old facility,” said Andrew Misura, director of media and marketing strategy.
Misura added that with the “additional space” added at the front of the rec center, the Basketball Performance Center was built out of the back of the fieldhouse.
Though there are mixed emotions about the Basketball Performance Center, students like Bashkoff hope to see a positive impact.
“I’m hopeful that this helps produce results on the court,” he said. “Then everyone can reap the benefits of it.”
Megan Brush is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at megan.brush@student.shu.edu.
Jaden Highsmith is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
