Indiana Pacers open up new St. Vincent Center and it looks snazzy

The Indiana Pacers announced the grand opening of their new medical/sports performance facility on Thursday.

After seeing glimpses of it all summer, the Indiana Pacers officially unveiled their new medical/sports performance facility, the St. Vincent Center. The team also announced in a press release that St. Vincent is is now the Exclusive Health Care Provider of the Pacers.

Indiana gets an overhaul and updates to their facilities as the center sports two NBA regulation courts, a weight room, a training room, other amenities and all offices for Pacers basketball staff.

One of the personalized touches for the center is the name of the practice courts. One is named in honor of Slick Leonard while former GM Donnie Walsh’s name is on the other.

Pacers owner Herb Simon is pleased with the new digs for the Pacers.

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“This is a monumental day for our franchise and underscores my family’s commitment to the city and the franchise. Competing at the highest level of basketball means we must provide a training facility that can help these elite athletes prepare to perform at their optimum level. And we are overjoyed to have such a wonderful and equally committed partner in St. Vincent,” said Simon.

If nothing else this gives the Pacers snazzy new toys to play with and to take care of the players. The team hopes it helps when recruiting free agents. The effect of it is hard to measure, but it does send a message to potential Pacers than the team is spending money to keep up-to-date, at least in certain areas.

The center isn’t just for the Pacers, either. The facility will also include dedicated floors where St. Vincent will provide primary care, cardiovascular, and sports performance services for athletes and the general public.

Also, in a very non-NBA related note…

This is cool. There are countless rooftops in that are wasted space on buildings, but the St. Vincent Center has a garden on the roof. One of the benefits of it comes in the form of natural insulation as it helps cool the center in the summer and retains heat in the winter.

On top of that, in the case of a zombie apocalypse, the Pacers have a source of food to rely on while the rest of Indianapolis goes to hell.

In other Pacers news…

Alex Poythress signs two-way contract

The Indiana Pacers signed power forward Alex Poythress to a two-way contract, filling their second roster slot for such players as Edmond Sumner occupies the other.

Poythress played with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season before signing a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. In his six NBA games, Poythress averaged 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while shooting 46.3% from the floor. With the Mad Ants, he averaged 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in 46 games.

At 23 — and the potential shown in those limited minutes with the 76ers — there is a reason to believe Poythress can contribute to the Pacers. There have plenty of big men right now, but that doesn’t mean Poythress can’t break through.

You can expect to see him in a Man Ants jersey when the season begins, but the Pacers shouldn’t hesitate to give him a shot at the NBA level.

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In other Fort Wayne news, former Mad Ant Julyan Stone is headed to the Charlotte Hornets G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, after being selected in the minor league’s expansion draft.