While the performance of the Boston College Eagles on the basketball court may not be up to par with that of the ACC's elite, the university has unveiled a plan to upgrade their athletic facilities to rival those of the upper-echelon likenesses of the conference.
The Facility Plans
Keeping up with the facility upgrades which have been made by the likes of in-conference football powers such as the North Carolina Tar Heels in recent years, Boston College is planning to spend $200 million in athletic facility upgrades which will feature the construction of a new indoor football practice facility, a new recreation center, and new playing fields for the baseball and softball teams.
The establishing of a pristine indoor practice facility will be crucial in attracting potential recruits to the program, as having the option of practicing indoors to avoid the brisk cold of Boston without being forced to place a domed roof over Alumni Stadium, which the program has done in the past, is certainly an intriguing one.
This practice facility will be part of the 240,000 square-foot field house that is likely to take the place of the current Flynn Recreation Complex that currently sits across the street from Alumni Stadium.
In addition to the football facilities, the new recreation center will feature a plethora of cutting-edge strength training facilities which will be utilized by all of the school's varsity teams.
Construction of the field house, which is to be funded by private gifts to the university, will likely begin this summer, and it will take an estimated 8-12 months to finish.
Eagles athletic director Brad Bates glowed about the potential of the field house to entice potential recruits, telling USA Today, "When you put a package together that encompasses the facilities, the diploma, the coaches, the types of students that we have on this campus, the city of Boston — I think we're putting together a pretty strong package."
Eagles Flying Low Of Late
After losing dynamic quarterback Darius Wade to a season-ending broken ankle in the team's third game of the season, the Eagles were futile in 2015, losing all eight of their ACC contests en route to a disappointing 3-9 record on the season.
Between the football and basketball programs, Boston College has not garnered an in-conference victory since March 10, 2015, when the basketball team emerged victorious from a matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first round of the ACC Tournament.