When Terry Wanless was given a tour of the Sacramento State campus, prior to being named Hornet athletic director, he didn’t sense a winning environment.

He visited an outdated gymnasium, a football stadium with portable concession stands and bathrooms, and a field house in need of renovation.

Now that the former University of North Dakota athletic director has the reigns of the department, he is ready to set out and make some changes.

“We are looking at preparing a master plan for the athletic facilities,” Wanless said. “This plan will then create a vision for the future of the athletic department and its facilities.”

The one facility that Wanless feels is in most dire need of upgrade is Hornet Gym, which seats only 1,200 fans.

“There have been some preliminary discussions about the development of an arena, and what it would mean to the institution and the students,” Wanless said.

Parking Lot 10, situated across State University Drive South from the football stadium, was cited as “the most obvious area at this point for the development of a new facility,” said Wanless, who stepped in for former athletic director Debby Colberg on May 31.

Colberg still serves as Hornet volleyball coach.

However, in order for visions of a new basketball arena to become a reality, attendance will have to pick up.

“Right now our basketball programs are not at a point where we can draw enough people to make that financially feasible,” Wanless said.

But with a 2002 men’s basketball schedule that features home games against the University of San Francisco, San Jose State and Oregon State, and a women’s team which graduated only one scholarship player this off-season, the possibility of rising attendance is not out of the question.

The men’s team averaged 998 fans in attendance while the women’s team averaged 198 fans in the 2001-02 season.

At North Dakota, Wanless oversaw the building of a new convention center/football arena He was also part of an $18-million basketball arena project while at Western Carolina.

“I feel very fortunate in that the experiences that I’ve had will be a tremendous help to me in moving the program forward at Sacramento State,” Wanless said. “I’ve been around and involved in (facility upgrades) my whole career.”

There were some facility upgrades made over the past summer. The Hornet soccer field received a new scoreboard, new turf and permanent bleachers.

Both the baseball and softball fields are currently in the process of having new dugouts and grandstands installed.

“The decision (that an incoming recruit) makes is often oriented to the types of facilities that they will get the chance to compete in,” said Wanless, who sees need for facility improvement in areas other than a new arena.

“I think this (plan) will look at everything,” he said. “Which could include a new arena, a new football stadium and a new fieldhouse.”

Wanless is satisfied with the capacity of the current stadium, but he feels that there are many areas, including concessions and bathrooms, where upgrades are needed.

“We don’t match-up well with other schools in the Big Sky conference,” said Wanless, regarding Sac State’s facility situation. Judging by his previous work, which includes turning around Div. II North Dakota’s athletic department both on the field and financially, the Hornet program might not be too far away from where they need to be.

“It doesn’t cost to dream,” Wanless said. “But without the dream we will never achieve.”