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Ryan Brown broke some huge news on WJOX this morning.
Nice little nugget from @RyanBrownWJOX in the first hour of the show: Brownie is told @Greg_Byrne has secured a donation large enough that it will allow him to arrange the additional financing needed to build a brand new on campus basketball arena, not just remodel Coleman.
— JOXRoundTable (@JOXRoundtable) October 9, 2020
There was some disappointment when The Crimson Standard included plans to remodel Coleman rather than build new. Needless to say, this would set off a celebration among Alabama fans who have felt for years that the basketball program lacked the necessary investment to get to the next level. Nate Oats has been killing it on the recruiting trail, including what may well end up as a top 3 class in the 2021 cycle.
All of the chips seem to be falling in place for the basketball program to become a national power. A modern arena would go a long way toward making that dream a reality.
Roll Tide.
Update: Greg Byrne threw a bit of water on this report.
As we have stated before, addressing Coleman is a priority.
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) October 9, 2020
As much as we want to start ASAP, we have to have a financial model that will allow us to move forward responsibly. We are working on that.
This comment from this morning is not accurate. https://t.co/cKLs5FdZ2k
Update 2: Ryan Brown tweeted a bit of damage control.
I also want to be abundantly clear what I did NOT say:
— Ryan Brown (@RyanBrownWJOX) October 9, 2020
-That a new arena has been given a green light.
-That any donation was given that covers the price of a new arena.
-That shovels will soon go into the ground.