Facility Photos

Tulane University unveiled the Hertz Center, the new state-of-the-art, 43,000 square-foot basketball and volleyball practice facility, in a dedication ceremony on Thursday, November 17. The Hertz Center was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony which included Tulane director of athletics Rick Dickson, Tulane president Scott Cowen and Atlanta businessman and the chair of the Tulane Board Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics Doug Hertz, who made the naming gift for the facility.

"I'm grateful to President Cowen and the Board for their renewed commitment to Tulane Athletics," said Hertz. "Because of that, our family was looking for a way to make a leadership gift that would have the greatest and most immediate impact for the school, its student-athletes and the Athletic Department. We hope that it will prove to be a springboard for a complete renaissance for all of Tulane Athletics. Tulane has been incredibly important to me and my entire family and we're privileged to be in a position to be able to give back to the institution."

A facility that will forever change the way Tulane student-athletes train, the Hertz Center includes two regulation basketball/volleyball courts, weight training, athletic training and hydrotherapy facilities, equipment room, conference rooms, coaches offices for all three programs, a video room and lounges for the men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams.

"Year after year, Doug and his family have shown their commitment and passion for Tulane and we are extremely proud of and grateful for all of their support," said Cowen. "A couple of weeks ago, New York Times sportswriter Pete Thamel tweeted that he thinks the new Hertz Center may be the best volleyball and basketball practice facility in the country. I couldn¹t agree more and Tulane is home to this great building because of our great friends, Doug and Lila Hertz."

The Hertz Center is located on Ben Weiner Drive between the Wilson Center and the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine and will act as the training facility for the men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs.

"The Hertz Center is a state-of-the art practice and development facility that will benefit our coaches and student-athletes for decades to come," said Dickson. "It provides the needed space and services to maximize skill development in a complete and time efficient manner. We are extremely grateful to Doug, Lila and the entire Hertz family who have led the way, along with other generous donors, to make this a reality. Along with Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, this is another major cornerstone in the foundation for success of Tulane athletics."

The main floor of the Hertz Center houses Goldring/Woldenberg Court and Cary Court. The courts reflect the generous donations of the Goldring Family Foundation, the Woldenberg Foundation and the late L. Wick Cary estate.

The gym features nearly 15,000 square-feet of court space with four main Spalding basketball goals and eight additional basketball goals. The two courts were installed by Connor Sports Floors and the Focus Floor that was laid down matches the floor in Fogelman Arena. Each court includes an iPod docking station, mounted cameras that the coaching staff can use to film practice and a location for another camera set-up.

Attached to the main practice area of the Hertz Center are the athletic training and strength and conditioning rooms. The open floor plan gives the student-athletes access to both rooms and almost 3,000 square-foot area that can be viewed from the gym through an all-glass front. The athletic training area houses one Hydroworx cold tub, two taping tables and four treatment stations. In the strength and conditioning area, treadmills, elliptical machines and an assortment of Power Lift weight training equipment line the floor. Offices were also installed for the staff members that will be working with the Green Wave programs housed in the Hertz Center.

Behind the main gym, each program has their own locker room space with 1,200 square-feet that includes locker, lounge and bathroom amenities. Through the entrance, the players are greeted by the lounge area, which features three couches, a refrigerator, microwave, computer desks, television and a pair of iPod docking stations that pump music into a speaker system which is inlayed into the ceiling. Walking into the locker room portion of the suite, 15 individual wooden lockers line the wall, with each including a secure entry system. From there, you enter the lavatory that is equipped with all the necessary comforts, including highly-mounted shower heads and a laundry chute.

An equipment room with 100 issue lockers is located at the corner of the main entrance to the building, with state-of-the-art rolling storage racks one of the major components. The equipment space also has two large capacity washers and dryers and 1,100 square-feet of storage.

Each program is represented with its own program highlight wall on the upper level. The colorful timelines are suspended by steel wires and line the left side of the second floor's main corridor. The coaches offices look out towards a hi-tech timeline that is suspended by wire and sets up the history and future of each respective program.

Once on the second floor, three identical coachs' suites are located along the right side of the Hertz Center. The suites feature five identical offices and are equipped with a television and white board, a reception area and supply closet. Across the hallway, a spacious 400 square-foot conference room is filled with ample seating, a television, projection screen and dry erase boards to use for individual film study. All of the offices overlook Ben Weiner Drive and the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

Also on the second floor, a 600 square-foot film room is accented with 32 leather chairs, a mounted high definition projector and a state-of-the-art lighting and audio/video system. The programs can also utilize a video room that includes a video breakdown station, mounted camera controls and a recording/duplicating center. The coachs' locker rooms and break room are also located on the upper floor of the Hertz Center.

The building was designed by GouldEvans Associates, LC with Lee Ledbetter & Associates and the construction was handled by the Brice Building company.

Brice was mobilized to begin construction for the Hertz Center on November 23, 2011 and the foundation for the building was laid on January 17, 2011. The building is scheduled for completion in January, 2012 once the final metal panels, which are fabricated in Japan and were affected by the tsunami in 2011, are installed.