Time for cheering to start at Boo Williams Sportsplex

The new sports facility is ready for the games to begin after this evening's ceremony.

HAMPTON, VA - Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, a Chesapeake native, and CBS commentator James Brown are among the noted guests expected tonight at the invitation-only grand opening at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

The $13.5-million, 135,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opens after the 6 p.m. ceremony with city of Hampton recreation basketball. Hampton Mayor Ross A. Kearney II and Hampton University President William R. Harvey are also on the program.

Williams said Monday that Hampton native Howard White also hopes to attend but might have a scheduling conflict. White, a Kecoughtan graduate and Nike executive, has purchased naming rights for one of the two pavilions at the complex.

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Boo Williams Sportsplex races toward completion

Photo: Marcellus "Boo" Williams standing at site during the skeleton phase of construction at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, VA.

Marcellus "Boo" Williams, 48, a Hampton native who played college basketball at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and professional basketball in Europe, is a longtime advocate for youth sports. He currently is the AAU chairman of boys basketball.

Williams started his summer basketball program in 1982, patterning it in part after the Sonny Hill League in Philadelphia, which he observed while in college. He pulled together the Sportsplex in a partnership with local investors and in conjunction with the city of Hampton. The venue will be the largest sports complex between Washington, D.C., and Greensboro, N.C., Sportsplex officials say.

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Boo Williams is an amazing individual that has built a $1 million annual economic engine for the Hampton Roads region. The world needs many more Boo Williams that do not mind being committed to improving life for our youth.

Great job, Boo!

-beepbeep