AKRON, Ohio - It has taken 10 years but LeBron James has agreed to donate $1 million to renovate the gymnasium at his high school alma mater, Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary. School president Tom Carone said work is expected to begin soon on the renovation that will include:
AKRON, Ohio - It has taken 10 years but LeBron James has agreed to donate $1 million to renovate the gymnasium at his high school alma mater, Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary.
School president Tom Carone said work is expected to begin soon on the renovation that will include:
* Naming the new gymnasium "The LeBron James Arena."
* A regulation 94-foot floor. The floor in place is only 84 feet long.
* New bleachers that will add an additional 50 seats to the estimated 1,500 currently in place.
* Two new scoreboards at each end of the gymnasium.
* A new heating and cooling system.
* Six new retractable baskets.
* New lighting.
Carone said a target date of late September has been set.
"We hope to have it done by that time so that we can start the season in the new gymnasium," said Carone. "The attorneys are working out the details but we'll be ready to go as soon as that's complete."
Boys basketball coach Dru Joyce said the renovation has been in the planning stages for some time.
"This is something that LeBron has always wanted to do, but he wanted to wait until the timing was right," said Joyce, who coached James throughout his youth basketball days and was the head coach for the last two years of James' high school career, which ended in 2003. "He is excited about it. We are excited."
Joyce said he will serve as the liason between James and the project.
"I will be LeBron's eyes while the process is going on," said Joyce. "There is a lot of work to be done. The gym was built in 1958 so there are many things that have to be done."