AURORA - Wells College has long had a reputation for being of the highest caliber in the world of academics.
Thursday afternoon, the school took the first of many steps to help make it of the highest caliber in the realm of athletics as well.
Jamey Ventura, athletics director and soccer coach at Wells, along with members of the school#'s coaching staff eagerly awaited the arrival of a truck from Praters Flooring to deliver the school's new portable basketball floor.
“They (Praters) have done six floors for the NCAA Division I tournament,” Ventura said. “They did a floor for the NBA All-Star game. The Florida Gators, they've worked with a lot of places, they really know what they are doing.”
The floor, which was installed in the indoor tennis courts area of the Schwartz Athletic Center, is comprised of 225 pieces, which can be moved when necessary.
“Since we just got it, we want to set it up and see what it looks like all together,” Ventura said. “We'll probably leave it up until the end of basketball season in February. After that the space can be used for lacrosse, soccer and tennis and spring sports when they need a place to practice inside.”
Ventura said that this has been made possible through the commitment of Wells president Lisa Marsh Ryerson, to help make the school's athletic program on par with its academic reputation.
“She made a commitment in 2006,” Ventura said.
“We want our athletics to follow in our academics footsteps and this idea gained a lot of support from the upper administration and we want to be able to build a strong reputation with all our sports.”
Next season, Wells will launch its first men's basketball season, competing on the varsity level in Division III with other D-3 schools such as Baptist Bible, SUNY Cobleskill, Keuka and Wilson.
Early on in the formative stages of creating a men's basketball program, Ventura and men's head coach Joe Wojtylko said they were trying to work out arrangements with Southern Cayuga High School to use their facilities for practices and games.
A prospect that made the scouting process difficult for Wojtylko.
“We've gone from not having a court on campus to having one of the nicest in the northeast,” Wojtylko said.
“That has really helped a lot with recruiting from last year when we didn't have a facility. But now that we have this it has got a lot of kids interested. They will be the first team and they will have this new facility and new uniforms and be the first in school history, something brand new and that has helped get a lot of kids interested in our program.'
The women's program will soon be following, starting off their inaugural year next season as a club sport before moving on to varsity on the 2009-10 season.
“Having this here will definitely help us build our program,” Shawna Little, women's head coach, said.
“We will be able to show players what it will look like and I think it will help get a lot of players to give us some serious thought.”
Ventura said that the new facility will also be open to the Wells and surrounding communities, much like the Wells golf course, as a place for residents to take advantage of the great facilities the college has to offer.
This floor is the first in what may well be a huge step for the entire Wells athletic program.
“I think this brings a lot to the school,” Wojtylko said.
“I think it shows a really big commitment to athletics, not just basketball, but all the other sports we offer here. We've gone from part-time to full-time coaches and this is another big step for all of our sports programs here at the college.”
Jamey Ventura, athletics director and soccer coach at Wells, along with members of the school#'s coaching staff eagerly awaited the arrival of a truck from Praters Flooring to deliver the school's new portable basketball floor.
“They (Praters) have done six floors for the NCAA Division I tournament,” Ventura said. “They did a floor for the NBA All-Star game. The Florida Gators, they've worked with a lot of places, they really know what they are doing.”
The floor, which was installed in the indoor tennis courts area of the Schwartz Athletic Center, is comprised of 225 pieces, which can be moved when necessary.
“Since we just got it, we want to set it up and see what it looks like all together,” Ventura said. “We'll probably leave it up until the end of basketball season in February. After that the space can be used for lacrosse, soccer and tennis and spring sports when they need a place to practice inside.”
Ventura said that this has been made possible through the commitment of Wells president Lisa Marsh Ryerson, to help make the school's athletic program on par with its academic reputation.
“She made a commitment in 2006,” Ventura said.
“We want our athletics to follow in our academics footsteps and this idea gained a lot of support from the upper administration and we want to be able to build a strong reputation with all our sports.”
Next season, Wells will launch its first men's basketball season, competing on the varsity level in Division III with other D-3 schools such as Baptist Bible, SUNY Cobleskill, Keuka and Wilson.
Early on in the formative stages of creating a men's basketball program, Ventura and men's head coach Joe Wojtylko said they were trying to work out arrangements with Southern Cayuga High School to use their facilities for practices and games.
A prospect that made the scouting process difficult for Wojtylko.
“We've gone from not having a court on campus to having one of the nicest in the northeast,” Wojtylko said.
“That has really helped a lot with recruiting from last year when we didn't have a facility. But now that we have this it has got a lot of kids interested. They will be the first team and they will have this new facility and new uniforms and be the first in school history, something brand new and that has helped get a lot of kids interested in our program.'
The women's program will soon be following, starting off their inaugural year next season as a club sport before moving on to varsity on the 2009-10 season.
“Having this here will definitely help us build our program,” Shawna Little, women's head coach, said.
“We will be able to show players what it will look like and I think it will help get a lot of players to give us some serious thought.”
Ventura said that the new facility will also be open to the Wells and surrounding communities, much like the Wells golf course, as a place for residents to take advantage of the great facilities the college has to offer.
This floor is the first in what may well be a huge step for the entire Wells athletic program.
“I think this brings a lot to the school,” Wojtylko said.
“I think it shows a really big commitment to athletics, not just basketball, but all the other sports we offer here. We've gone from part-time to full-time coaches and this is another big step for all of our sports programs here at the college.”