Heading to The Fieldhouse
Photo: Land is currently being cleared near the intersection of Green T and McIngvale Road in preparation for start of construction for The Fieldhouse in March. (Courtesy photo)
A facility is going up in DeSoto County that developers hope will become a regional facility for aspiring basketball and baseball players to improve their game.
Called The Fieldhouse, the four basketball courts and two baseball diamonds should start to be constructed in March and be completed by July.
The facility will be located near the intersection of Green T and McIngvale Roads in Hernando and will have easy access off I-269 with the new McIngvale Road interchange soon to be finished.
“It’s to something that’s available to local kids to have training, practices and such,” Drumwright said. “I’m a firm believer that a lot of kids can have a lot of good opportunities, but they get lost by the wayside because there’s not an organized place for them.”
Drumwright said places for basketball teams to practice and play can be difficult to play, adding The Fieldhouse will become the largest facility of its type in DeSoto County and likely in the Mid-South.
“In my mind, there’s nothing bigger than a two-court facility in Memphis,” Drumwright said. “Filling it up for a tournament time is going to be relatively easy.”
Elite teams right now seeking out quality locations to play that are sometimes hard to find that Drumwright says The Fieldhouse will help solve.
“My kids are going to Boston Baptist (Church) at I-40 and Austin Peay (in Memphis) to play in a gym right now that doesn’t have air conditioning,” Drumwright said. “We get eaten up by mosquitoes in July inside, and we are an premier team that plays on a national scale.”
Easley Baseball Club will be the main presence on the baseball side and Ed Easley, former professional baseball player from Olive Branch, has been active in the development of the baseball side.
Drumwright is the primary force in making The Fieldhouse happen. He is a developer and also owner of Green King Spray Services of Olive Branch.
Beyond basketball and baseball, Drumwright wants his building to impact the community.
“In the future, we’re going to expand it and shape it into a ‘T,'” said Drumwright. “If Hernando Recreation wanted to use it, we’d be open to that. There are churches that rent school space to meet and that would be an option.”
