ALBANY — The University at Albany badly wants the Giants to return in 2013 for a 17th summer holding training camp at the school. How badly? The university is willing to reconfigure its on-campus athletic bubble in order to solve the only issue the Giants have with the facilities.
“We don’t have the resources to build a facility,’’ University at Albany president George M. Philip told The Post yesterday, “but if we can have something with adaptive reuse, that would be good.’’
At present, there is no indoor field for the Giants to use in inclement weather and missing even a single practice is unacceptable to coach Tom Coughlin, given the pared-down camp schedule in accordance with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. This summer, the Giants are scheduled for 15 practices and rain and the threat of lightning once forced them to curtail practice halfway through. The only alternative for the Giants is to run a walk-through wearing sneakers on three side-by-side indoor basketball courts, not an option that suits Coughlin.
“You have to have someplace to go when it rains,’’ Coughlin told The Post after practice. “I live in constant fear of that. That’s one area of stress you don’t need, you know?’’
There is a bubble adjacent to the athletic fields currently used for intramural tennis. It is not 100 yards long, but with modifications and field turf could be a viable option if weather makes outdoor practice unmanageable. There’s also a possibility a more spacious indoor facility could be built on the expanse of grass fields the Giants occupy during camp.
“I think it would be a reasonably modest expenditure to retain the Giants,’’ Philip said. “It’s well worth it for us, because as you saw [Sunday], 5,700 people, it’s a great draw for the University, it’s great for the community. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to accommodate them in a modest way.’’
The school’s athletic director, Dr. Lee McElroy, is all for doing what it takes to keep the Giants.
“We would definitely have to get with our construction and design people and whatever [Philip] says to encourage it, we want to be able to do it,’’ McElroy said. “The regulations in the bubble now are not appropriate, they need to be adjusted. We want to make sure they’re back so we can maintain the momentum we’ve had the past 16 years.’’
Which is what Albany mayor Jerry Jennings wants to hear.
“I can obviously state the obvious — I want them here,’’ Jennings said. “I can work with them and do whatever we have to do to make sure that their stay here is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for everyone.”