SCC Planning Gym Expansion

SCC men’s basketball coach Mike Apple (left) and athletics director Aaron Denton stand on the court in Heins Gymnasium behind the Dempsey Student Center. Photo by Glenn Sides.

By Hunter Chase

As of Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Buoyed by the rapid success of its athletics program, Sandhills Community College has announced plans to expand its James E. "Buddy" Heins Gymnasium located in the school's Dempsey Student Center.

The expansion is due in part to Flyers' basketball team, which last year won the national championship for its level.

"After we won the national championship last year, a donor approached me," College President John Dempsey said. "We talked about building a fieldhouse, but that didn't work out, so we pursued other opportunities."

And with the help of various donors from the community, the school's alumni and in-house efforts from the Sandhills Community College Foundation, money was raised for the project. Most of the money for the $1.2 million expansion came from longtime school supporter Bill Russell, said school athletics director Aaron Denton.

The current gym is about two-thirds the size of a regulation college basketball floor, which meant that home basketball games couldn't be held on campus and had to be played instead at The O'Neal School.

Expansion plans include adding seating for more than 500 fans and a full-length college-size basketball court (94 feet by 50 feet). When the Heins gym was dedicated in 2005, it was intended to be used as a physical education/recreation gym.

"When it was originally built there were no plans to add intercollegiate athletics," said Denton, who arrived to direct the school's athletics program from its inception in 2008. "Since I've been here, the use of the building has just exploded. PE classes have grown and been added, it's not just the athletic program."

The project is still in the design phase, said Denton. Mark Wright is the architect and New South Construction will be the contractor.

The expansion will take place by knocking out a side wall and turning the court perpendicular to the current court, Denton said. There will be six basketball backboards around the new court. The women's volleyball team will have two full-size courts available for use.

"It's going to be a great place," said Denton. "It's not only going to be good for the teams, but good for the college community. It will add to our PE program, it will provide a bigger space for the educational component of the school. The addition of the athletic program has come full circle, with the benefits being felt by the whole college community."

The Flyers have been using the gyms at The O'Neal School, located across the street from the community college and the relationship has been a successful one, according to Denton.

"Oh, my goodness," Denton said. "I can't tell you how great that's (relationship with O'Neal) been. They have gone above and beyond what needed to be done to make this happen. We would not be where we are, from a basketball standpoint, without that relationship."

The school reinstated its athletic program five years ago with the introduction of men's basketball, women's volleyball and both women and men's golf. The volleyball team was the first to step on the national stage when it made it to the eight-team national tournament three years ago.

SCC is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in Division III.

The crowning achievement for the young program was last year's run to a NJCAA national championship by the basketball team. The Flyers finished 30-6 while taking the national crown with a dramatic run through the national tournament where they won their first two games by a total of two points.

This season, the Flyers started the year ranked No. 1 in Division III. Currently they are ranked seventh in the nation and are sporting a 17-3 mark.

The volleyball team has played its games in Hines gym, but the small size of the facility made it nearly impossible to get spectators into the gym. That problem will be fixed by the expanded gym, said Denton.

"There will be plenty of room for spectators," said Denton. "It will boost support for both programs. It will allow us a lot of opportunities for sponsorship and entertaining donors. It will allow us to hold special events here. One thing we are considering is having high school events in the new gym."

Construction is slated to begin in early spring, Denton said, with the work being done in four to six months.

"It's going to help with the student involvement with the teams, with the athletic program," Dempsey said. "The athletic program has been a campus-wide phenomenon. The whole campus community has been part of this - the students, the faculty and staff.

"It's going to be nice to be in our own home. The kids will be able to come out and defend their own turf."

Contact Hunter Chase at (910) 693-2477 or sports@thepilot.com.

More like this story

RKatrin 4 months ago

Do we really need this? Are there lots of other things that a community college needs than getting into not even minor league sports? I think there are, lots of things are more important for this college than the glitter of basketball and a 500 seat bleachers. Will it EVER fill? Yeah, so SCC has well heeled donors who don't know what to do with their money. Could they be directed otherwise? I have nothing against sports but and Athletic Director and coach, who's paying those salaries, at a Community College. Seems like an expensive diversion from the mission of a community college, to serve the public, especially those from the struggling to survive strata of our society. Not to act like some kind of sports mecca, don't we have enough of those, largely wasteful, and besides the point things in our society that provide, at best, entertainment. Where big money mostly plays. Most young men and women at this level have little if any chance of making it in sports. Wouldn't an expensive effort like this be better utilized.

kiki 4 months ago

YES it absolutley is needed! A quality athletics program is an outstanding marketing tool that will bring more interest in the school which will bring more money to build up current and future academic programs. . There are donors that will give funds to academic initiatives but many will only give it to high profile programs like athletics. As much as we may or may not agree wth that, it is reality. Accept the funds, build the programs, and find ways the initiative can incresae acaemics thorough other means. IMHO

Toda 4 months ago

Now should a Field House be considered for a football team? If SCC is going for the full court shot, then should we expect adding other sports to the mix? Baseball and football would bring potential players focusing on University Studies and sport scholarships.

I'm in as long as taxpayer funds are not used for those activities when new technology begs to have exposure to a rapidly developing workforce.

As I've written about before is teaching the use of CNC machine technology. Jobs are found in various industries with base wages around $20.00 per hour.

To prove my point of contention, perhaps SCC Alumni Association could conduct a survey of those who have graduated with 2 year degrees and found gainful employment in their fields of study...?

fugitiveguy 4 months ago

seems like the money could be better spent

Crash11 4 months ago

Whoever gave the green light on a college basketball court NOT being a full size court in the first place is a complete moron.

JD 4 months ago

Whoever gave the green light on a college basketball court NOT being a full size court in the first place is a complete moron.

This.

RD28327 4 months ago

I don't think we'd be even thinking about this had it not been for the success of the Sandhills Community College Flyers men's baketball team.

I hope that the design folks are checking out other gyms at community colleges in NC. Would like to see this expansion allow for much more than 500 seats, but no more than 1500. Would like to see the renovated facility bring in high school teams, maybe the NJCAA district tournament or even the NJCAA national tournament. Perhaps other events besides athletic events can be held in the expanded facility.

As for future athletic teams being added, I would like to see women's basketball. I can see men's and women's soccer as well as baseball and softball, but those teams would have to practice and play off campus. Don't count on football. Only one two-year college in NC fields a team which is Louisburg College, which also happens to be a private college. Louisburg also plays a lot of teams in the Northeast. Lots of money would be involved with equipment and travel.

This facility expansion would be a big help to the physical education program.

I think the addition of intercollegiate athletics is giving young people an opportunity to play sports but also get a good education. If it weren't for sports, some young people would not necessarily be going to college. And, most college athletes will most likly go professional in something other than sports after they graduate.

DaveyNC 4 months ago

Make it useful for other things besides just basketball--concerts, banquets, whatever.

Um, what will happen to the current gym?

Strawberry 4 months ago

I, as an alumni, think it's great to see the college expanding their sports programs. Bring in more youth that are attracted to it who may otherwise see no use for college. Also, having been a student of Mike Apple, I remember, almost 20 years later, his enthusiasm for learning. I can't see him with team players who don't play just as hard in their books! So I commend SCC on the program and the expansion.

RD28327 4 months ago

DaveyNC, the current gym is what will being renovated.

TF121 4 months ago

Given the times, the SCC administration needs to be very mindful of appearing to suffer from "mission creep," as the purpose of a NC community college is to train a workforce. Competitive athletics reaches beyond this charter. So it's a budgetary concern: how much does it cost to create and maintain these athletic programs? Is funding from public sources? Private sources? A combination (which seems to be the case)? But then it becomes a question of what greater benefit could those same monies have if assigned to educational programs, instead of competitive athletics. The SCC admin needs to deal with this "front and center" in terms of informing the public.

Toda 4 months ago

TF121 => you must be new to Moore County politics or just new to MooCo.

The public is informed when the gavel slams down on a motion to approve and carry. Just ask one of the County Commissioners what is included in SCC's budget?

Surprise - they are just zombies when it comes to approving school budgets under the window dressing that idea the schools have is based on technological advancement.

Did you happen to read MC Schools Superintendents' spill to the County Board for more technology funding ... that was hilarious! I guess they are buy a word? Because no technology was mentioned.

SCC will use 1.2 million on a gym but not on CNC technology for jobs training of skilled workers for the new manufacturing initiatives using robotics. Until there are personnel changes in the boards at SCC and MC Board of Commissioners, the gavel will sound "done deal"....