LOOK: Kentucky WBB’s locker room is a masterpiece

By now you’ve heard of the $82 million renovations to Memorial Coliseum, the home to Kentucky women’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and STUNT teams. Those began in March 2023 and the venue will be ready for team use in the coming weeks, as early as mid-August for the start of volleyball season.

Will things be ready by then? It certainly looks that way — and goodness, is it a work of art.

The Kentucky women’s basketball program shared a behind-the-scenes look at its new-and-improved locker room inside Memorial Coliseum, a state-of-the-art product with an updated film room, lounge, bathroom and kitchen, among other amenities.

Take a look:

That new, new. 😮‍💨

Oh, so thankful for our new space. pic.twitter.com/3KsrLpCrSm

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) July 25, 2024

Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore joined the UK Sports Network for a tour of the Wildcats’ new home in Lexington. And it’s pretty clear the star guard is happy with how things turned out.

New crib, who dis? 🏠

Join @georgia_amoore as she gives an inside look at the newly renovated @KentuckyWBB Locker Room! pic.twitter.com/KpW1j1KLJD

— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) July 25, 2024

As for the gym itself, the new Memorial Coliseum will have a reduced capacity of 6,500 with seats close to the floor in hopes of providing a stronger home advantage.

“Competitively, again, I think it is really close to the action. I think it will help our young people,” UK AD Mitch Barnhart said. “They’re going to get excited about the fans that will be close to them and cheering them on. With the new scoreboard, sound system, and lights and things that we can do, I think we can create an environment that’s really cool competitively. A lot different than what we’ve had.”

It’s also going to be a significant recruiting upgrade, something that was used against the coaches using those dated facilities before — Kenny Brooks, Craig Skinner, Tim Garrison and Blair Bergmann included.

“From a recruiting perspective, it certainly is a big deal for us,” Barnhart added. “I think people used to, a good number of folks, would use it against us in recruiting. ‘You’re playing in that place, it’s really bad.’”

We’ll see you at Memorial Coliseum.