Praise for practice facility

The former Lady Vols basketball player adjusted her pre-game itinerary Friday to include the groundbreaking ceremony for the new basketball practice facility.

"It's always important to have something like this,'' said Lawson, who plays for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs, "especially when you have a mixed-use facility like (Thompson-Boling Arena). I think that's huge."

The facility will be called Pratt Pavilion, in honor of lead donor Larry Pratt, who committed $5 million to the $16 million project. The pavilion, which was funded entirely through private donations, will include two full-size gymnasiums, one apiece for the men's and women's teams, along with facilities for sports medicine, strength training, film study and recruiting. It scheduled to be completed by next October.

If such a facility had been built during Lawson's UT career, she would've staked out some living space there.

"I'd have had a cot; I'd have slept there,'' she said. "I slept in the locker room a few times when I was here."

In planning for the pavilion, UT officials visiting several practice facilities around the country, including one at SEC rival Florida. The architects for the project are from Blankenship Design, and the general contractor is Johnston and Gaylon.

"One of our goals for Tennessee athletics is to always give our student-athletes the very best in facilities, equipment and other resources needed to excel in their sport,'' Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said in a release.

Pratt, who is from Athens, Tenn., endowed a scholarship in the 1990s in honor of his father, Floyd. In 2003, he donated $1 million to the STEP-UP Campaign.

"I have a longtime appreciation for the standard of excellence (Lady Vols coach) Pat Summitt has established for Tennessee and I have confidence that Bruce Pearl is the right coach to lead the men's program to the same level,'' Pratt said in a release. "We've got to make sure that they have all the tools they need to recruit the best possible student-athletes and develop their skills to a championship level."

Meanwhile, Lady Vols donor Sherri Lee and her family were honored Friday at a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of Lee Softball Stadium, next to the Regal Soccer Stadium off Neyland Drive.

The new facility for the Lady Vols, who have gone to the College World Series the past two seasons, will include 1,581 seats, private boxes, VIP suites and a digital scoreboard with video playback capabilities.

The Lady Vols also will have a 6,500 square foot training facility within the stadium.

The outfield dimensions will be 220 feet to center field and 200 feet to left and right field.

In a UT release, Lady Vols co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly called the stadium, "a dream come true."

In the same release Lady Vols athletics director Joan Cronan and Lee had their say on the stadium.

"The Lee Softball Stadium will be one of the finest facilities not only on this campus but in the entire country,'' Cronan said.

Said Lee: "This stadium and this program mean a lot to me personally. I enjoy athletics a great deal and feel that it is very important for women to have the best available opportunities and facilities in order to compete at the highest level in athletics."