Earlier this week, I interviewed Penn basketball coach Jerome Allen for a story in the next issue of the Gazette. The best part about the chat? It took place in Allen’s brand new office overlooking a brand new basketball court at the recently renovated Hutchinson Gymnasium.
The John R. Rockwell Court is part of several upgrades to the creaky old gym. Others include a new fencing room, as well as improvements to the school’s golf, gymnastics and rowing training facilities.
For Allen, whose old office was in a cramped space at the Dunning Coaches’ Center and whose team’s practice court was in a stuffy upstairs gym at Weightman Hall, the major upgrades mean a lot.
“In order to be successful as a program, commitment has to come from the top,” he said. “And I think this building kind of is like a statement that they really care about basketball at Penn. It’s beautiful. I thank every person that donated a penny to make this happen for us. And I’m quite sure the guys will get a lot of use out of it.”
Some parts of Hutch Gym are still under construction but I snapped a few photos of the renovations, which I’ll share below.
A look from above at the center of John R. Rockwell Court.
The basketball coaches offices have glass windows overlooking the court.
A look from the inside of head coach Jerome Allen’s new office.
A look down the hallway outside the coaches offices.
Some photos – and bobbleheads! – are already decorating the shelves outside the offices.
The new fencing training room was named after longtime coach Dave Micahnik.
Some parts of the Hutch Gym renovations – like the gymnastics room – are still under construction.
