The Grand Rapids Drive will have a new home soon.
It's official: Wayne State will construct a new basketball arena and the #Pistons will bring their G-League affiliate to Detroit.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 1, 2019
The Wayne State board of governors voted 8-0 to approve the new stadium, which will cost the university twenty-five million dollars. Construction will proceed quickly, and the new stadium will be ready for the 2021-22 basketball season.
Wayne State is shifting gears to make themselves a premier destination for those interested in sports management and marketing.
Wayne State President Wilson says there will be internship opportunities for WSU students in marketing, administration and other sports-related areas through partnership with #Pistons.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 1, 2019
Partners
This partnership is quite the coup for Wayne State and gives them the upper hand when recruiting new college students.
Detroit's G-league team is currently named the Grand Rapids Drive. There's no indication whether or not they will change that to the Detroit Drive. You may recall that the Detroit Drive was the name of the most successful Arena Football League franchise of all time.
Owned by Mike Illitch, the Drive made the playoffs every year of their existence (1988 to 1994) appearing in six arena bowls and winning four of them. Illitch sold the team in 1993, and they moved to Massachusetts and became the Marauders.
The deal seems beneficial to both sides as the Detroit Pistons get to bring their G-League team closer and Wayne State gets a valuable partner.
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