Thanks to a $10 million gift from the Dusty and Leisha Womble family, Texas Tech is on their way to the $23 million needed to build The Dustin R. Womble Basketball Practice Facility that will be located just west of the United Supermarkets Arena.
The facility will house both men and women, each will apparently have their own court, training rooms, film rooms and lockerooms, while the men’s and women’s team will share the building as a whole. Here is athletic director Kirby Hocutt:
“We are so thankful to the Womble family for their unwavering commitment to our basketball programs,” Hocutt said. “We believe this gift will create the momentum needed to raise the additional funds necessary to break ground on what will be a truly remarkable facility. We can’t thank Dusty and Leisha Womble enough, and we look forward to having their name on this incredible facility in the years to come.”
And Mr. Womble said that his time at Texas Tech prepared him for his career:
“My collegiate years at Texas Tech prepared me for a successful business career. This gift is my opportunity to say ‘thank you’ and to give back to the university that has provided so much for me and for my family,” Womble said. “Prior to today, many great Red Raiders have laid the building blocks for athletics success. Now is our time to step up and further that vision Kirby has articulated in our Campaign for Fearless Champions.
“This training facility will do much more than put Tech on equal footing with our peers. It will set the standard for what other universities can aspire to have.”
This is, potentially a game-changer in terms of having a program that has what everyone else has, to what being above and beyond what everyone else has. There’s part of me that knows that facilities don’t make programs, but they can enhance what you do have and that can sometimes be the difference between just being an average program and making taking that next step. It still starts and ends with the coaching and the players. There’s no question about that. It truly is a beautiful facility and I know that some of you have also wondered if this is necessary and from what I understand, there are a handful of teams, especially at this time of year, that compete for use of the USA. It’s obviously a first world problem, but this certainly adds to the two basketball programs. Men’s basketball coach Chris Beard acknowledged that this can be a difference maker:
“I speak for everyone in our program in thanking Dusty Womble and his family for this generous gift to Texas Tech University and to Red Raider Basketball,” Tech men’s basketball coach Chris Beard said. “This facility is a difference maker in our program and for the future of Texas Tech Basketball. It will be a tremendous asset for our current and future players. The facility will be a huge asset in both recruiting and in player development. I also want to thank all our past players and our coaches for their investment in our program. We all appreciate Dusty Womble and his vision for the future of Texas Tech Basketball.”
And Lady Raider head coach Candi Whitaker thanked the Womble family:
“Our staff is so grateful to the Womble family for its support in providing our student-athletes with one of the top basketball practice facilities in the country,” Lady Raider head coach Candi Whitaker said. “This facility will be instrumental in our player development as well as recruiting the nation’s top players to our campus.”