ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Adding on another new piece of luxury, Missouri Western Athletics is proud to announce the completed renovations of the Looney Complex Film Room.

The film room is located on the second floor of Looney, right across the coaches' office suite. Sculpted in a style similar to a theater, the room features 25 leather seats, a large TV screen, a glowing Griffons sign, multiple lighting settings and floor lights. Initially a shared classroom, both basketball teams will primarily use the space, much to the excitement of Griffon Women's Basketball Head Coach Candi Whitaker.

"This gives us a space that is dedicated to our teams and learning and getting better on the floor," Whitaker said. "It directly impacts our program. It shows really well in recruiting and shows the commitment of donors to our program and how to continue to make us more competitive." 

Whitaker is even more excited about how well this room will serve the student-athletes.

"Everything we do to try to make them feel big time," Whitaker said. "I think when they walk into a space like this, and they sit down, they know we're working on getting better. The feel is great. It's a big-time feel, and they know we're serious about winning at a high level."
 

"It's humbling, and it's a huge blessing," said MWSU Men's Basketball Head Coach Will Martin. "Everything we do is about the student-athlete experience. It's a true competitive advantage. To have people in the community who continually want to invest and give to our student-athletes so that they can have the best experience possible, it's truly humbling."

Missouri Western recently renovated Griffon Football's locker room this May, giving it a fresh new feeling to benefit student-athletes. Martin views the new Looney Complex Film Room as an aid that will not only help teach Griffon student-athletes but also as a tool to help set the tone when it comes to competing at Missouri Western.

"We have DI facilities here at Missouri Western," Martin said. "I think that when you bring recruits on campus, they see that they feel that, and this is another notch to add to that. We play in the toughest league in Division II: the MIAA. Anytime you can kind of get that margin, and you have that little edge that's going to help you become better and more locked in and more focused and more proficient and more efficient, I think that goes a long way."
 

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