Last modified: Friday, April 16, 2010
Dedication ceremony set for Cook Hall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Athletics will formally dedicate its new basketball development center, Cook Hall, on Sunday (April 25). The 3 p.m. dedication ceremony will be conducted on the men's basketball practice court inside the new facility, which is adjacent to Assembly Hall on the Bloomington campus.
"IU has a long basketball tradition comprised of legendary coaches, players, fans and victories," said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass. "Cook Hall honors the hard work and determination of those who have made IU great, and it represents a renewed commitment to elevating both our men's and women's basketball programs into a new era of excellence."
Photo by Mike Dickbernd/IU Athletics
IU's Cook Hall, the daily headquarters for the men's and women's basketball programs.
The dedication ceremony will feature remarks from IU President Michael A. McRobbie, Glass, Basketball Head Coaches Tom Crean and Felisha Legette-Jack, former IU basketball players Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Amy Metheny, and current student-athletes Jori Davis and Jordan Hulls. Jim Edson from the architectural firm Populous of Kansas City, Mo., will present the building for dedication. Stephen L. Ferguson, chair of the Indiana University Board of Trustees Facilities Committee, will accept it before McRobbie conducts the formal dedication.
The dedication ceremony is open to the public. An informal reception and tours of the building will immediately follow the ceremony.
Physically connected to Assembly Hall via underground tunnel, Cook Hall serves as the daily headquarters for the men's and women's basketball programs, providing them with a state-of-the-art venue in which to practice, train and condition. The 67,000-square-foot, multilevel facility features practice courts, locker rooms, a strength and conditioning area, coaches' offices and meeting/video rooms.
Cook Hall is also home to the Pfau Shine Legacy Court, a unique museum/exhibit space that chronicles the history of Indiana basketball with photos and memorabilia that celebrate IU's championship teams and basketball traditions.
"This new facility -- made possible by the remarkable generosity of Bill and Gayle Cook -- will have a tremendously positive impact on our student-athletes," said McRobbie. "It promises even greater levels of academic and athletic achievement by providing our student-athletes with the finest training facilities possible. It also gives our many alumni and fans an opportunity to share in IU's celebrated basketball history while they get an up-close view of the world-class resources that will enable our student-athletes to compete at the highest levels of performance."
Ground was broken for the new basketball development center in 2007. Construction was completed in late March of this year. Leading the architectural planning and design of the facility was Populous, assisted by Moody-Nolan of Indianapolis.
In February, IU Athletics announced that the new basketball development center would be formally named Cook Hall in recognition of a $15 million gift to the For the Glory of Old IU campaign made by the Cook Group.
Cook Group is a privately held company founded and based in Bloomington, Ind. Its Cook Medical affiliate pioneered many of the medical devices now commonly used to perform minimally invasive medical procedures throughout the body and is among the world's best-known and most respected names in medical devices and supplies. The company was founded in 1963 in a spare bedroom in Bill and Gayle Cook's apartment in Bloomington where they produced interventional medical products such as wire guides, needles and catheters. It was the first company in the world to develop and manufacture coronary artery stents. Today, the company integrates medical devices, drugs and biologics to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes and has facilities throughout the United States, Denmark, Ireland and Australia.
To honor past and present Cook Group employees, permanent plaques will be placed in Cook Hall recognizing the thousands of people who comprise the company's loyal workforce.
Additional funding for Cook Hall was made possible through generous contributions to the For the Glory of Old IU campaign. For the Glory of Old IU is the first comprehensive campaign by the IU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The goal of the campaign is $80 million in private support for new and improved athletic facilities, endowments and ongoing annual support of student-athlete scholarships. Naming opportunities are still available within Cook Hall and other facilities. To learn more about the campaign or the Cook Hall dedication ceremony, please contact the IU Varsity Club at 812-855-0866 or varsity@indiana.edu. More information can also be found on the Capital Campaign Web site, located at https://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/c-capital/ind-c-capital-body.html.
