NORMAN - The University of Oklahoma's athletics performance center at Lloyd Noble Center, which will start being constructed next month, will be named after former OU basketball player Blake Griffin in recognition of his financial gift, the largest ever to OU by a former Sooner basketball player. The naming was approved during Thursday's OU Board of Regents meeting.

Griffin committed in August to help financially support the construction of the approximately 18,400-gross-square foot training center, which will take 12 months to complete. The addition, which will be built south of the men's and women's basketball's two existing practice gyms and will help enhance strength training facilities for both men's and women's programs, as well other Sooner student-athletes, will be called the Blake Griffin Performance Center. The approximate total costI am humbled that OU has chosen to name this facility after me, and I am really excited to see this high-performance training center come to life."

The Blake Griffin Performance Center will be the first of its kind among the nation's collegiate basketball programs. Some of the many features will include basketball training courts, free weights, indoor turf, outdoor turf with sand pit, spaces for plyometric and cardiovascular training, cardio and strength testing, locker rooms, an exam and recovery area, a fueling station, a multi-purpose room and overhead fresh-air doors.

The Blake Griffin Performance Center will be the first of its kind in college basketball.

"We are grateful for the generosity of Blake Griffin, who is one of the most outstanding basketball players in OU history," said OU President David