From the Polk County event

Papa_Bull · June 10, 2005

Published Friday, June 10, 2005

Selmon: Bulls Must Update Facilities to Compete

By Rick Brown

The Ledger

LAKELAND -- By moving into the Big East Conference, the University of South Florida has reached the upper echelon of college athletics.

National exposure, recruiting and playing against the best competition and the chance at a national championship are just a few of the benefits.

Yet, those benefits come with a cost. The athletic facilities at the school must be upgraded.

This is what NFL Hall of Famer and former USF Athletic Director Lee Roy Selmon and USF men's basketball coach Robert McCullum spoke about to a group of around 100 at the USF Polk County Alumni Association luncheon Thursday.

Among the future plans not only include renovating the Sun Dome, where the basketball team plays its games, but also include a new playing surface and modern scoreboard. It should be ready for the upcoming season.

The Bulls have already completed their athletic training facility. But the biggest piece will be a new athletic district which will include either new or renovated tennis, baseball, softball and soccer facilities.

"Our facilities are not at a Division I level," said Selmon, who is now the president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics. "We need to improve the facilities. That will help equal the recruiting field. Because what those 17- and 18-year-olds see means a lot."

Selmon said the cost of these renovations and new facilities could could be in the $50 million range.

Meanwhile, the Bulls officially move into the Big East on July 1. McCullum has already seen some benefits of the high-profile conference.

"We probably got three or four recruits we could not have," he said. "We've got more kids inquiring about us in high school, more kids having an interest with us moving into the Big East."

In other news, USF will hold an Around the Horns Golf Tournament June 20, at Grasslands. The golf outing presents the opportunity to golf with USF coaches and athletic administrators.

The cost is $125 per individual; $500 per foursome, which includes a dinner that evening. Those wanting just to attend dinner, the cost is $30.

For more information, call the Bulls Club office at 813-974-4223 or aqui@admin.usf.edu.

Despite bringing in seven new recruits, McCullum said walk-on guard Chris Capko, from Kathleen, will remain a part of the team. He also said that while another game in Lakeland is not on the schedule yet, it remains a possibility. The Bulls played Bethune-Cookman at The Lakeland Center on Nov. 29.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS/506100374/1254