Unless your college dorm had its own private barbershop, get ready to be jealous of the Kansas men’s basketball team’s living quarters.
KUHoops.com had two players — guard Devonte’ Graham and forward Landon Lucas — take cameras on a tour of the $12 million McCarthy Hall, which opened in 2015. With spacious dorms, a half-court basketball facility, and plenty of room to relax, the facility is a dream for anyone who had to split a cinderblock dungeon with a stranger for an extended period of time between college classes.
Graham showed off the bottom levels of the complex, which includes a half-court gym that’s available to players 24 hours a day. The “multi-purpose room” is basically a large kitchen.
The “media room” is your fantasy home theater setup, with large screens and theater-style seats to watch game film and, if someone has an HBO Go password to borrow, the latest episode of Game of Thrones.
Then Lucas takes us through the upper portion of the facility, including a model room that shows off the players’ actual dorms. The facilities were made with height in mind, with tall cabinets, shower hooks, and doorways so the players aren’t constantly ducking in their rooms.
“Everything’s raised up, the counters are made tall,” says Lucas, who is 6-foot-10. “It’s good for people like me.”
The Game Room is another highlight, which includes three “good-sized” TVs, a pool table, and a ping-pong table emblazoned in KU branding. Lucas said it’s a great place to watch college football on Saturdays, then shows off what might be the coolest feature on the tour: the team’s own barbershop.
Lucas said on game days barbers come in and players can get touched up before they take the floor, which seems like a pretty solid perk if you ask me.
The facility sports some high-tech security as well.
In addition to helping KU’s recruiting, coach Bill Self said the new dorms also were constructed to help security. Visitors are not able to get to the second or third floor of the building without a fingerprint or card, with Self saying he can’t even get to that level without someone letting him in.
Lucas ends the tour on the rooftop patio, which has a fireplace and plenty of seating. I bet it’s a great place to… play board games after a home game at Allen Fieldhouse, which sits a few hundred feet away. Yes, board games. That’s it.
