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A $10 million, 50,000-square-foot sports complex is on its way to North Liberty thanks to the efforts of a former Iowa basketball player.
The Corridor Sports Performance Center is poised to break ground after the North Liberty City Council approved the design and development of a four-acre plot of land just south of Liberty High School. The facility will house several basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts.
Former Hawkeye Kenyon Murray, who is also the father of two former Hawkeyes, Keegan and Kris Murray, presented the proposal the to council. Kenyon Murray operates Murray Elite Basketball, a namesake camp that was formerly the Iowa Barnstormers, noting that the organization will call the facility home.
A 'destination' sports facility in Johnson County
Kenyon Murray said the new sports complex will be a "destination," providing something "different than anything else anybody else has seen across the state." He said it will be much more than just a space for youth tournaments. The space is intended to serve students in grades 6-11.
The Murray Foundation will also be housed on the property. Two additional tenants will lease space for "rehabilitation and sport performance."
"Basketball or volleyball or pickleball may be what brings people in the door," Murray said. "But what's going to keep them there is our mission to make our community better."
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Sports complex will offer a 'wholistic approach'
Murray said he has coached at various levels since 1999 and has seen the transformation of basketball over the past 25 years. His mission is to create a space that develops players in all aspects of the game, on and off the court.
"The one thing that we need more than ever today for our athletes is we need a wholistic approach to help them be successful," Murray said. "Whether that's through career development, career readiness, whether that's through mental wellness, whether it's through the actual, physical abilities that they'll be able to improve upon in this facility, we have to give them other skill sets to be successful after the ball stops bouncing."
Murray said no other facility will offer the scope of services that the Corridor Sports Performance Center aims to provide.
"And that's a promise," he said.
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How will the City of North Liberty contribute financially to the complex?
The facility is expected to cost around $10 million. Developers are asking the City of North Liberty to provide an 8-year, 100% tax-increment financing rebate, not to exceed $1.3 million.
The 50,000-square-foot facility is expected to be valued at $6 million once completed.
The North Liberty City Council approved the project plan, meaning city staff will move forward with an amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan and exploration of a tax-increment financing district in the area.
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NBA may match $25,000 donations to facility, foundation
Murray Elite Basketball has "such a web" across the state of Iowa to bring in players with a future as a college or pro player, Murray said, and, "We don't want to turn down anybody."
The Murray Foundation will fundraise to help create a scholarship-like fund for families that may not be able to afford the costs of the local basketball camp. Every $25,000 donation from Kenyon's sons, Keegan and Kris Murray, is also eligible to be matched by the NBA.
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Murray family has decades-long ties to Iowa basketball
Kenyon Murray spent four years with Iowa in the mid-90s, averaging about 10 points per game as the Hawkeyes made two NCAA Tournament appearances under then-head coach Tom Davis.
His sons, twins Keegan and Kris, were born in Cedar Rapids and helped Iowa capture a Big Ten Tournament title in 2022.
More on the Murrays: Leistikow: Inside the Murray family's 'exhaustingly awesome' year and what's next for Kris
Keegan Murray was a consensus first-team All-American after the 2021-22 season, in which he averaged 23.5 points per game. He was selected fourth overall in that year's NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and finished fifth in the 2022-2023 Rookie of the Year voting.
This season, Murray is averaging about 13 points per game and 35 minutes a night.
Kris Murray was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He has averaged 5 points per game in his two years in the league.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: What will the $10M sports complex in North Liberty look like?
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