New Basketball Court, Lacrosse Wall Underway [PHOTOS]

Basketball and lacrosse players alike can rejoice this fall, as a new basketball court and lacrosse wall will be available for use this fall at .

While the wall and court will be connected, they are essentially two separate projects collaborated by the Westwood Basketball Association and Westwood Youth Lacrosse.

"I've been wanting to build this (wall) since 1996, when Westwood Youth Lacrosse was formed," said Bob Rich, President of WYL. "Just to have a dedicated space where kids could improve their passing and catching skills. In the past, they've done it in their back yard or against brick walls at different schools."

Construction on the new wall and adjacent basketball court - the first court of its kind in the vicinity of Westwood High School - began on Tuesday, and is expected to be completed within two to three weeks.

The threat of Hurricane Irene this weekend put a small delay on construction of the wall, which will resume on Monday or Tuesday after the storm has passed.

"We have to hold off on actual pouring due to safety concerns because of the hurricane," said Lorne Giroux, Facilities Coordinator for Westwood Basketball. "We'll start, come back and put the upper panels on."

The lacrosse wall, which is modeled after a similar wall at Harvard University, will be 12 feet tall and 24 feet wide (the area will be 90 feet long and 28 feet wide). One side of the wall will comprise about 54 feet of space, while the other will hold only 36 feet, to allow for players to practice throws from varied distances.

About 500 boys and girls currently participate in the WYL program, Rich said, from first grade through eight grade. Laminated posters will be displayed on the outside of the wall to describe the biomechanics of passing and catching, as well as a list of wall-ball drills for players at all skill levels.

The new basketball court joins a list of other outdoor courts in town at such locations as Morrision Field and at , , , and Elementary schools. But the new court will be the first of its kind at Westwood High School.

The court will be available for use by students and teams at Westwood High School, as well as the town's and the WBA. The public may also use the court.

Equipment came on Monday this week to build the project, which broke ground on Tuesday. But things will be put on hold this weekend due to the impending winds and rain of Hurricane Irene.

Both organizations are funding their respective portions of the project, with the basketball court costing about $45,000 and the lacrosse wall coming to between $30,000 and $35,000. WYL received assistance for the project through the Westwood High School Boosters Club and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
 
WBA and WYL, are funding these projects through both personal donations and corporate sponsorships. Details on how you can help can be found on both organizations websites, westwoodbasketball.org and westwoodyouthlacrosse.com.

For those interested in donating to help defray the cost of the lacrosse wall can make checks out to Westwood Youth Lacrosse, and send them to 34 York Way, Westwood, MA, 02090.

Both groups agreed that the collaboration is both a beneficial move for sports in Westwood.

"It's important to note the synergies of Westwood Lacrosse and Westwood Basketball," said Michael Gay, WBA Equipment Coordinator.