Alabama men’s basketball coach Avery Johnson wants to transfer Coleman Coliseum without “just throwing some new paint” on the 50-year-old building.
According to Johnson, he and athletic director Greg Byrne have had several meetings to discuss the future of Alabama’s home for men’s and women’s basketball as well as gymnastics. Right now, that home is Coleman Coliseum. By the sound of it, that’s where the Crimson Tide will play its home games for the foreseeable future.
“I know at some point down the road something’s going to get done,” Johnson told reporters at the SEC’s spring meetings in Destin, Fla. on Wednesday. “I think it will be more of a renovation rather than a new building.”
The goal for those renovations according to Johnson: “Without just throwing some paint on Coleman, how can we transform Coleman?”
The extent of those changes is unknown. Although, Johnson made it clear students and season-ticket holders rank high on his list of importance. Wednesday, the head coach discussed the possibility of reconfiguring the student section while also hinting at upgrades to club levels — something he picked up from his time as both a player and a coach in the NBA.
“Our student participation in our games is something that we’ve talked about significantly and also how can we have better and more high-level VIP experiences for our season-ticket holders,” Johnson said. “Because with me coming from the NBA world, the entertainment value of your games, being able to entertain at different levels, not just with the team on the court but all of those experiences that are sometimes exposed and sometimes hidden behind with certain club levels that are visible and some that are not visible. I just think providing all those experiences for different levels of ticket holders is critically important to our program.”
Byrne also spoke to reporters Wednesday, stating he was “leaning more towards the idea of a remodel,” but that Alabama was “not there yet.” As of now, there is no timeframe for when any renovations would be made.
"We've been studying that and research in the marketplace about what would be supported,” Byrne told reporters via AL.com. “and then we have to find a financial model that can work.”
