The basketball suite will be outfitted with new coach offices, team rooms and a reception area. The size and ventilation of the men's and women's locker rooms will also be upgraded.
The old fitness center located in the Berry Center has been integrated into the new expanded suite, and teams that previously used the space have moved their activities to Alumni Gym.
Leede Arena the men's and women's basketball teams' home court will sport newly painted bleachers in green and white and new banners around the court.
The renovations, which are being funded by an anonymous donation and will be completed in time for the start of the upcoming basketball season, are a welcome and much-needed change for the basketball program, according to players and athletic department members interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"Leede Arena and the Berry Center came online in the mid-80s and have really not received any type of upgrade since then," said Richard Whitmore, associate athletic director for operations and facilities for athletics and recreation. "It's terrific that we are going to see some upgraded, renovated facilities. I think there will be a little something in there for everyone athletes, students and coaches."
Whitmore said that moving the offices of men's head coach Paul Cormier and women's head coach Chris Weilgus to the basketball facility was obvious to the coaches and athletic department administrators. The offices were not previously located near the rest of the program's facilities.
"It just made sense for the basketball coaches to be in the basketball facility," Whitmore said.
Players said the improvements will provide an air of credibility to a basketball program that clearly has the administration behind it.
"[The renovations] make us more legitimate," men's guard Jabari Trotter '12 said. "It makes you feel like you're playing not only for yourselves but an entire community."
Woman's basketball player Faziah Steen '13 echoed Trotter, adding that she appreciates the department's support.
"It's nice to feel that the school feels our teams are important enough to invest in," she said.
A major benefit of the renovations will likely be an improvement in the program's ability to recruit. Team members said they hope the new facilities will demonstrate to potential players that the Big Green has the resources to compete on a national level.
"It's great because for one thing the renovations help us compete not just with other Ivies, but even bigger schools that have more resources than typical Ivy schools," Steen said.
Trotter said the improvements have already impacted incoming freshman players.
"It means a lot to them everyone is pulling out the stops for us," he said. "Now it's time for us to reward them for their faith."
This support will likely be important as the Big Green seeks to reverse its recent struggles. The women's team has not had a winning record since capturing the Ivy League Championship in 2009, while the men's team won just one conference game last season.
Whitmore said that administrators also placed a major emphasis on energy conservation during the renovations. New lighting fixtures in both the West Gym and the basketball suite will use signficantly less energy than the old lights, and the air conditioning system for the facilities will be more energy efficient. Whitmore said the additions are already reducing energy costs for the College.
In addition to the renovations to Leede Arena and the Berry Center, the West Gym roof which Whitmore said has previously led to water intrusion and leaking is being replaced.
"It was something that structurally we had to do because that's our primary indoor recreational space so it serves a lot of different needs," he said.
After the old roof is stripped, the West Gym will be fitted with a new reinforced roof that will be raised to allow for new windows to be installed.
"Hopefully the new roof and the new windows will make the space weather tight," Whitmore said.