The Margaret M. Crook Center is home to the Colby Volleyball and Colby Men's and Women's Basketball programs. Featuring the Whitmore-Mitchell Court for varsity competition as well as a separate recreation court, the Center houses six retractable basketball nets in total, two courtside scoreboards and a Nevco 4-sided, center-hung scoreboard.
Overlooking the Whitmore-Mitchell Court, the inviting and multidimensional Hancock Room serves as a meeting space for teams to review film, hold study hall and host game-day events.
"College athletics contribute to student experiences is so many ways—learning discipline and teamwork, building character, pushing oneself to be the best one can, experiencing the highs of winning and the lows of losing—and coming back to do it all over again, for love of the sport!
And each of those create memories. When I think of Colby sports---as a fan, not an athlete—I think of the memories. The shots that won an ECAC championship or the tournament game against Bates, the goal that beat Bowdoin that ended the dreaded streak, the soccer save that preserved a NESCAC win, the touchdown against Bowdoin to bring us a winning season and a CBB title, the no-hitter in softball against Maine, my list goes on and on.
Those accomplishments and those memories need to be shared. And the Hancock Room is the perfect place for conversations and sharing. Overlooking the court named for Whit and Swish, Dick Whitmore and John Mitchell, iconic coaches of men’s basketball for more than four decades, the Hancock Room is the perfect place for Colby basketball and volleyball players, their parents and fans to recall past glories and to look forward to future ones. For those of us who have been at Colby a while, we enter the room thinking of all of the threes Matt Hancock '90 drained and the tenacious defense and leadership exhibited by Sarah Hancock '19, but for the whole Colby community this room is a place to come together to share in the excellent tradition and future of Colby sports."
"We are extremely fortunate to be on campus TOGETHER in the new Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center. We've had an exciting start to the season with seven new faces in our program. The players have brought a tremendous amount of energy and a renewed sense of appreciation for all that we get to do during these times. Our staff is grateful to be on the court developing our young talent and building for the future. I'm excited to see our continued progress each day!"
"Training in the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center will really benefit the volleyball program because it provides our student-athletes with the resources they need to grow and get better both on and off the court. The Boulos Family Fitness Center finally provides adequate space for both our team and the Colby community to stay active year-round. As a team, we will look to maximize our use of this space and build strength each year to become better athletes. A new and improved Athletic Training room, paired with our fantastic Athletic Training Staff, allows our athletes to get the treatment they need. And the ability to play on the beautiful, bright Whitmore-Mitchell court and use our own locker room really motivates our team to hold themselves to the highest standard of competition in order to represent Colby and the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center well"
"The student-athlete experience will only be enhanced with the state-of-the-art opening of the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center. Specifically for basketball, the three full-sized college courts in addition to the main court, give our players incredible access and flexibility to maximize their workouts throughout the days and seasons. Having year-round access to our locker room creates great efficiency for our players to get their workouts in and the combination of the Boulos Family Fitness Center and spacious athletic training room and therapy pools play critical roles in helping them become their best. Finally, the space throughout the facility creates moments to meet and study together, and most simply put, I find it hard to imagine a better facility anywhere in the country."
