Joyce Center Upgrade Coming

So Notre Dame is finally joining the rest of facility-upgrading-loving America. No, not with football. Those Fighting Irish are blessed with facilities that are the envy of nearly every program in America.

Basketball, however, was another matter. The Joyce Center might have been state of the art when Digger Phelps was young and Three Dog Night was hot, but those days are long gone. A major facelift was in order if the Irish were to compete with the Big East brethren.

And so was born the Purcell Pavilion, a $25 million renovation project that will feature new chair back seating and a new two-story structure at the south end of the arena that will provide a new entrance, club seating and a hospitality area.

The project was underwritten with a $12.5 million leadership gift from Philip J. Purcell III, a Notre Dame alumnus and trustee.

This won't guarantee the Irish a permanent place in future NCAA Tournaments, but it's a heck of a start. For more on this, check out this story on Notre Dame's website.