In another milestone in the construction of the HSS Training Center in Brooklyn's Industry City, the six baskets that will be used for Nets practices have been installed. The baskets, wrapped in protective blue plastic material, were hung from the now-completed ceiling over the last few days.
The $45 million, 70,000 square foot facility is expected to be done mid-season -- probably around the All-Star Break and the Nets "circus road trip," when Barclays Center goes from the NBA and NHL to Ringling Brothers. The training center will replace the Nets longtime training facility in East Rutherford, NJ. HSS -- the Hospital for Special Surgery -- is the naming rights partner for the center.
Irina Pavlova, who arrived back from vacation Monday, spent the day watching the installation of the baskets. She tweeted out the progress.
The next big milestone is the removal of what is the original roof of the eighth floor Building 19 at Industry City ... and the temporary floor for practice court space. Once that happens in October, the court space will reach its full 34-foot height, enough to contain the highest arcing jump shot or the most errant pass. Architects decided not to pull up the original roof until things like the baskets and electrical work were hung from the ceiling.
Besides the practice court, which will mimic the Barclays Center courts down to the herringbone floor design and logos, the facility will include office space for team officials -- and a basketball operations conference room dubbed the "Draft Room;" a locker room; a weight and conditioning area, including two pools; space for the basketball operations servers; media interview space; and a two-story players lounge, which includes a rooftop garden with spectacular views. David Manica is the architect.
The training center is expected to be an anchor for what is being called a "hipster-industrial complex" of converted century-old warehouses, filled with offices, art galleries, eateries, sports-related tenants and light manufacturing.