USF construction may start soon

Construction on the long-awaited USF athletics district could begin in early 2010.

The financing plan for the $30 million project was approved Thursday by the school's Board of Trustees, the school announced. The final step is approval from the Board of Governors on Thursday.

The project includes new football practice fields, a new basketball practice facility and new stadiums for baseball and softball. A soccer stadium also is being considered for the early phase.

The Frank Morsani Football Practice Facility will feature three side-by-side, full-length football fields. Two will be natural grass, the third an artificial surface.

The Les and Pam Muma Basketball Center, to be located south of the Sun Dome, will include men's and women's practice gyms and support facilities, including locker rooms, offices, meeting rooms, athletic training, strength training and equipment management facilities.

The new baseball stadium will be in the same location as the existing one, but realigned to create a shared plaza and ticketing area with the new softball field to the south of the baseball stadium.

INJURIES: C Sampson Genus (ankle) practiced Thursday in a limited fashion, Coach Jim Leavitt said, but remains doubtful for Saturday's game at Connecticut.

LB Kion Wilson (ankle), who was ruled out by Leavitt earlier this week, will travel with the team.

"We're going to learn more (today)," Leavitt said. "We're still kind of going day-to-day with them. Kion will travel. ... Genus practiced for a little bit. He did a few snaps. We don't know for sure, but he got in with the ones a little bit. But that's what I'm saying; it's so hard to tell because you just don't know. Every guy is different. Every injury is different. So you don't know."

If Genus and Wilson can't play, their replacements - sophomore Kevin McCaskill and freshman Sam Barrington - would get their first career starts.

Leavitt also said RG Zach Hermann, who missed the past three games with a neck injury, will not play again this season.