WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The Foster Pavilion opened its doors one year ago. It seemed like yesterday that the Bears were taking on Cornell on a rainy night while fans were walking around checking out the new home of Baylor basketball.
Since its opening, it's changed everything about Bears basketball.
"Being able to be in here every day and enjoy and get the benefits of that, our players get many more shots not only in the Foster but in the practice gym. They get the advantages of the weight room, the nutrition center, the training room, the recovery, and the locker room. So all that stuff pays dividends," head coach Scott Drew said.
"We are blessed to actually have this arena. I feel like it's one of the best arenas in the country. It's actually like a good thing for the guys who have been here last season, but also for those who just joined the team," junior Josh Ojianwuna said.
Another aspect that has changed is fan engagement. Noise is a factor in home games, which was designed to help fans get even more involved than ever.
"I know there are some games like from last year when we were down, and we started coming back, and the whole crowd was going nuts, and that actually did help the team because—when they're like screaming and yelling, you can hear that and that just boost your moral to like just keep going so yeah I actually do love it, " Ojianwuna said.
"My reaction when I first saw it and saw how money they spent, I was like, wow. You know, it's a top-tier facility, stuff like that. Especially when playing the facility, hearing how loud the student sections and fans are, you know, credit to them. I just wanna thank them for that for sure," freshman VJ Edgecombe said.
The next game at the Foster Pavilion is the women's team taking on Colorado on Saturday, January 4. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m.
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