Gregory Gym welcomes back Texas basketball
In recent years, Jerritt Elliott’s Texas Longhorn volleyball program has called Gregory Gym, the venerable building at 2101 Speedway in the heart of the University of Texas campus, home.
From time to time, former basketball head coaches Shaka Smart and Karen Aston would bring their teams into the arena for preseason events designed to build fan excitement.
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But the Longhorns men’s program hasn’t played a non-exhibition game in Gregory Gym since February 26, 1977 when it fell to Baylor in the first round of the Southwest Conference Tournament. That changes Monday.
Texas will host the Sam Houston State Bearkats in the 91-year old building in front of a student-only crowd. Longhorns head coach Chris Beard is going all-in on the students for this game, throwing a party in front of the tower for them including music, food, and more.
Beard is calling this a “throwback game,” part of his entire “Unite the Family” campaign.
“It’s special for a lot of people,” Beard said November 23. “Everybody who played at Gregory, remembers going to games at Gregory, is interested in the tradition or history of the program, it’s just a game that makes a lot of sense.”
The game where Texas looks for its 384th win in the building caps a day Beard hopes will get students more involved in the program. Between free food, a live concert from Blackillac, and a march to the game from in front of the tower to 2101 Speedway, he hopes this becomes a way to create more student involvement with the program.
Elliott’s volleyball program draws a dedicated crowd of students and non-students alike to the arena, creating a volleyball atmosphere most teams around the country rarely see until postseason play.
On most other occasions, it’s empty save for the occasional pickup or intramural game. The actual gymnasium is attached to the greater Gregory Gym facility that takes up a significant chunk of the area across from Jester Dormitory and behind Moore-Hill Residence Hall
Most students are familiar with the facility as a home for workouts, whether it’s for weight training, using the jogging track, racquetball, squash, or swimming in the pool that Longhorn football has used for recruiting events going back several years.
Beard hopes Monday his program gets a few more students who could be leaving a class at Welch Hall or the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Building into the building for the contest.
“It feels right playing over there,” Beard said. “We’re proud to put this on the floor in the first year. Hopefully the people appreciate all the work that went into putting this game on.”
The Bearkats enter the contest 2-4 and ranked No. 210 in KenPom’s rankings. They’ve lost to Nebraska, Missouri State, Boston University, and SMU. Led by head coach Jason Hooten, their top scoring threats are Savion Flagg (21 PPG) and Demarkus Lampley (11.3 PPG).
Beard preferred a Texas-based team be the one the Longhorns face Monday in Gregory Gym. He also admitted that there will be more than just location that’s a throwback to yesteryear.
“All the throwback games have challenges,” Beard said. “One year, we didn’t have running water in the locker room. The officials, they’re not going to get their five-star plus accommodations they’re used to around here. We’re taking basketball back. It’s going to be more like Hoosiers than it’s going to be like an NBA arena.”
The main challenge on Monday will be topping Sam Houston State. For players in the program, the more there to cheer them on, the easier that task will become.
“I really hope for all the students to come out to the game at Gregory,” Andrew Jones said after Texas’ win over Cal Baptist in the Abe Lemons Classic. “It’s going to be our first time playing a true game in a while, and we really need your support.”
