Built in 1965, the Matthaei Center has been the hub of Wayne State's athletic campus in midtown Detroit. Intramural and club sports, the swimming facility and almost every other sport were housed in the same outdated facility.  The upgrade is coming.  With an 8-0 vote, the school's Board of Governors unanimously approved a plan Wednesday to build a new $25-million on-campus athletic facility that will house its men's and women's basketball teams. In addition, the Pistons announced that the new facility will be home to their affiliate in the Gatorade League.  The new 70,000-square-foot facility — seating 3,000 — will be near the corner of Warren and Trumbull, where an intramural field

The Detroit Pistons are planning to bring an NBA G League affiliate to Detroit. The Pistons announced Wednesday their G League team would play in a new arena that Wayne State University is planning to build for its basketball programs. The school’s board of governors has approved the facility.

The Detroit Pistons are planning to bring an NBA G League affiliate to Detroit.     The Pistons announced Wednesday their G League team would play in a new arena that Wayne State University is planning to build for its basketball programs. The school’s board of governors has approved the facility.

If you need a mover in or around Detroit, Arn Tellem’s your man. And if you needed any more evidence of that, there he was Wednesday, seated on the dais for another major announcement in the Motor City. This time it was at Wayne State, where the university unveiled its plans for a new $25 million arena that’ll also be home to the Pistons’ developmental league team when it's completed.

The NBA G League is coming to Detroit. The Detroit Pistons announced plans Wednesday to bring a developmental team to the city as part of a multi-faceted partnership with Wayne State University. The G League team will play in the arena Wayne State is planning to build for its men’s and women’s team. A specific timeline has not been determined, but the $25 million facility, with a capacity of 3,000, is scheduled to be compete in time for the 2021-22 season. The Pistons and their current G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, recently extended their operating agreement through the 2020-21 season. Discussions with G League officials continue, regarding whether the new team will be part of an expansion or whether the Drive will relocate. “We continue to invest in the success of our franchise and the success of our community,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Bringing a G League team to Detroit delivers on both fronts. It will give our players and coaches the best tools available to maximize performance, and it will add more fuel to the revitalization underway in Midtown and throughout Detroit.”

The school will combine with the Detroit Pistons to build a $25-million facility on the western edge of its athletic fields, the Detroit Free Press reports. WSU's board gave its blessing to the deal.

The Detroit Pistons are planning to bring an NBA G League affiliate to Detroit. The Pistons announced Wednesday their G League team would play in a new arena that Wayne State University is planning to build for its basketball programs. The school's board of governors has approved the facility.

Troy Burrell will likely go down as one of the best athletes to ever come out of the Blue Water Area. The former Big Reds wide receiver had plenty of success after graduating from the school in 2007. He went on to star at Wayne State University, where he will be enshrined in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Feb. 16. After going undrafted by NFL teams, Burrell refused to quit and caught on with the Detroit Lions as a free agent. He caught their attention during a local combine and was soon after signed to the practice squad, where he played two seasons with the likes of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. 

The Wayne State University football team held its 2018 banquet on Sunday afternoon at The Dearborn Inn. Head coach Paul Winters concluded his 15th season by announcing several individual team honors. Graduate student Shane Hynes was selected as WSU's Special Teams Most Valuable Player for the season. He was named to the Honorable Mention All-GLIAC Team after playing in all 11 contests despite joining the squad just a few days prior to the start of the season. Hynes equaled the second-best mark in program history with an 82-yard punt against Northwood and concluded the campaign with a 40.6 yards per punt average with four inside the 20. He gained two first downs on fake punts, totaling 41 yards against Ferris State and Grand Valley State. During the season, he had 13 kickoffs go for touchbacks. Hynes also served as the holder for PATs and field goals during the final five games. The Defensive Rookie of the Year award recipient was true freshman safety Tieler Houston. He played in all 11 games, starting the last nine contests, and was named to the Honorable Mention All-GLIAC Team. Houston tied-for-sixth in the GLIAC with two interceptions, and was eighth with 50 interception return yards. He tallied a game-high and a season-best 11 tackles (8-3) against Northern Michigan, including one for loss along with his second career interception to earn WSU's Defensive Player of the Week award. He is the second consecutive member of the secondary to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year recognition since Jamiil Williams in 2012 (Myron Riley in 2017).

The whirlwind year had finally slowed down for Alan Trammell after his Hall of Fame induction in July, his number retirement in August and his season traversing the Tigers' farm system. Now, in the middle of December, he's on the move again. Trammell will finish up his annual baseball camp with former teammate Lance Parrish this weekend. This is what he likes to do. It is evident as he fields grounders on the basketball court of Wayne State University's Matthaei Center, trying to demonstrate the proper technique to kids ranging from grade school to high school, just as he does on the Minor League fields across the Tigers' farm system. And as the game embraces the next wave of stars and their enthusiasm, Trammell hopes to reinforce the basics. The camp is in its ninth year, and now ranges from basic sessions for all ages to specialized sessions for advanced hitters, shortstops and catchers. Wayne State head coach Ryan Kelley and his players help throughout the weekend.

Fairview senior Mercedes Wagner said she’s always dreamed of playing basketball at the collegiate level and she made those dreams a reality on Tuesday by signing to play at Wayne State University, an NCAA Division II school in Detroit. Wagner was in contact with several schools during the recruiting process, but said Wayne State ultimately felt like the right fit. It was at an AAU tournament earlier this summer in Louisville, Kentucky when she first appeared on the radar of the Wayne State coaching staff. Wayne State was originally there to see another player, but when they noticed Wagner starring as a member of the Glass City Fury, they couldn’t look away and got in touch soon after.

Wayne State University athletes will be helping to make and distribute lunches in Detroit for those in need. The students are set to participate in the annual #Lunchbag event on Friday. The program began in 2015 in conjunction with Hartford Memorial Baptist Church’s “Feed the Hungry” program. School officials say roughly 5,500 lunches have been distributed by the athletes in past years at the Neighborhood Service Organization, Coalition on Temporary Shelter and Rosa Parks Transit Center.