Hobbs hits the ground running on Rutgers facilities The new AD discusses the hoops practice facility, Hale Center and other proposed upgrades. He meets architects today.

Now that he’s hired a football coach, new Rutgers athletics director Pat Hobbs is diving into his next top priority: facilities.

In an interview Sunday, Hobbs said he has reviewed the wide-ranging upgrade plan approved by Rutgers’ Board of Governors in June. Today, he was to meet with architects under consideration for a multisport practice facility on Livingston Campus. Tuesday, he meets with football coach Chris Ash to discuss Hale Center renovations.

Upon getting hired last month, Hobbs said: “It wasn’t very hard to see what one of my first priorities was going to be. It really is the number one issue we have right now.”

There are three upgrades on the table, plus the completion of the new baseball and softball facility, for which ground was broken in October. Here are Hobbs’ thoughts on each:

Livingston Campus multisport facility: This would house practice facilities for men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, volleyball and perhaps a total of five to eight sports, Hobbs said. All of the architects under consideration “have recently done similar-type facilities on significant college campuses,” he said.

“This would be the first one where we get shovels in the ground,” he said. “It would be right next door to the RAC and will connect directly with the RAC.”

For men’s basketball in particular, the lack of a practice facility is an albatross on the recruiting trail.

“It’s incredibly important just for the development of the student-athlete; you can schedule more easily, and it’s more comfortable,” Hobbs said, “But you can’t discount the wow factor. When a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old walks in and sees what’s available, they’re going to compare that to other Big Ten programs. If we’re not competitive across the board, it sends a signal to them and their parents about our commitment to excellence.”

Regarding the RAC itself, Hobbs said, “I will want to, in time, do some more cosmetic work at the arena. The RAC can be one of the best places in college basketball. Used correctly, this can be an advantage arena."

Hale Center: The center, where football is housed, was built in 1987.

“It’s adequate, and I would say when it was done it was a good upgrade, but now we’re in the Big Ten, and we need to do additional things,” Hobbs said. “Right now we can’t put all of our players into the football locker room, and we need to make sure we can do that. Coach Ash and I are meeting Tuesday night, and we’re going to go through what we need to do immediately and long-term.”

Hobbs was asked about the previously discussed notion of moving other sports into the basement of High Point Solutions Stadium.

“We don’t want to any programs to feel crowded or second-class, because we really can have excellence across all of our sports,” he said. “The worst thing we can have is a facility opens up and we have regrets about it, or it doesn’t work for a program or two, and we have to redesign it.”

Soccer and lacrosse upgrades: A facility at Yurcak Field for men’s and women’s soccer and men's and women's lacrosse is on the table.

“There’s a lot of interest on the part of both soccer and lacrosse alums to see that happen,” Hobbs said. “I’m hoping that interest translates financially.”

Baseball and softball facility: Hobbs said his understanding is that the $3.3 million Fred Hill Training Complex “is teed up and ready to go, and they’re going to move. That should be happening right away.”

More news coming

Much of this, of course, hinges on fundraising.

“I’ve done a lot of outreach the last few weeks to our alumni and people who have been supportive,” Hobbs said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm right now. As soon as we get into the new year, we’re going to start setting up conversations with some of these folks, so they can see my passion about what we can get done here. Early in the near year you’ll hear some news about some initiatives we have underway.”

For now, the work to move June’s plans closer to reality has begun.

“There’s the need to do these facilities in terms of supporting our student-athletes,” Hobbs said, “but there’s also a need in terms of the perception of the institution and where we’re going.”

Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com