Avery Johnson on Coleman Coliseum: “No New Building in Sight”

The athletic facilities on the campus of the University of Alabama have enjoyed many renovations over the past decade. From Bryant-Denny Stadium expanding beyond 100,000 fans to the new baseball stadium to upgrades at Rhoads Stadium, construction never seems to slow down in Tuscaloosa.

But many fans have been wondering if the Alabama basketball program would eventually get a new home. Coleman Coliseum will turn 50 years old in 2018, and some people speculate that it could be the next facility to go. While it holds more than 15,000 fans for home games, the setup isn't ideal for a basketball arena. Many of the seats sit a long way from the court and a lot of open space makes it difficult to trap and amplify the crowd noise.

Avery Johnson, who just finished his first season as the Crimson Tide's head coach, joined  The Game on Friday to discuss many different topics around his program. When the conversation moved to his home court, Johnson made it clear that there are no current plans to build a new arena.

"The discussion behind the scene with Coach Bill Battle is we're going to continue improving Coleman Coliseum," Johnson said. "There's no new building in sight, so in the meantime, we're going to continue to upgrade Coleman."

The university spent $22 million to renovate the arena beginning in 2005 and made a number of changes to improve the experience and atmosphere.

"We spent over 10 million dollars years ago in Coleman renovating it. Our practice facility, player lounges, all of our little VIP areas at Coleman continue to have serious makeovers year after year.

"We have a brand new court we put in last year. We had our student section significantly improved. Students were closer to the action. And because of all the improvements we continue to make at Coleman, we had a better fan experience."

Johnson will host three basketball camps at Coleman Coliseum this summer, beginning with the Elite Camp on June 11. You can get more information at CoachAveryCamps.com.

You can listen to his full answer in the video below.