USA Basketball to bring jobs, excitement to Tempe

PHOENIX — A new USA Basketball facility that will break ground soon is expected to bring both jobs and excitement to Tempe.

“We’re looking forward to making the move to Tempe,” Craig Miller with USA Basketball told News/Talk 92.3 KTAR’s Bruce St. James Show on Monday.

The new 20,000-sqaure-foot facility at University and Mill is scheduled to open in 2016. It not only will house the organization’s offices, but retail stores, high school administration offices and housing.

“It’s a really impressive, large development,” said Miller, adding that a nearby hotel and convention center are also in the works.

The new home of USA Basketball should put a lot of people to work, both during construction and upon completion.

“Once the facility is built, the opportunities for employment are going to be outstanding,” said Miller. “Obviously, it’s going to employ a lot of people to build all these buildings as well.”

But the facility is bringing more than jobs. Miller said it has employees of the non-profit excited.

“More exciting for the USA Basketball staff is the creation of some courts and the ability to hold a seating capacity in the 4,000 to 5,000 range for some of our events,” he said.

The additional room will allow USA Basketball to focus on something it has wanted to for a long time: The development of all youth basketball players, not just the stand-outs.

“We’re starting now a new youth division which will be more oriented to the non-elite player, if you will,” said Miller. “Just the ordinary player who wants to get better and learn fundamentals and there will be clinics and opportunities for improvement for both coaches and for players at that age group.”