Expanded parking lot will cost basketball court from MWSU Campus Watch on Vimeo.

The university’s outdoor basketball court will be paved over this summer when construction begins to extend a nearby parking lot. 

While students can use the indoor basketball court in the Wellness Center free of charge, many non-MSU students like having access to the outdoor court they can use for free.

“You don’t have to pay anything, you just come out here,” said Tres Leal, kinesiology sophomore at Vernon College. “We come out here probably every Monday or Tuesday to come and play. A bunch of guys get together, you know, it’s just fun being around each other and having somewhere to go where everybody can go and not worry about paying.”

But even if some don’t mind the $5 guest fee for using the Wellness Center, some amateur ballers prefer the outdoor court because of its more casual atmosphere.

“Most of the people that go to the Wellness Center, I mean, dudes can ball. They show out, they’re pretty good,” Leal said. “We’re just out here to have fun.”

Construction of the new residence hall that will displace the parking lot begins May 17, and vice president of facilities services Kyle Owen said the expansion of the lot near the basketball court will begin soon thereafter.