McDonough Gymnasium's aging practice and training facilities had long been considered overcrowded and obsolete when, on September 12, 2014, Georgetown held a groundbreaking ceremony for the four-story, 144,000-square-foot (13,378-square-meter) John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center, whose northwest corner is adjacent to the southeast corner of McDonough.
The old practice and training facilities at McDonough Gymnasium were outdated and overcrowded, leading Georgetown to build a new facility, the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center, which was inaugurated on September 12, 2014. The center is located adjacent to McDonough's southeast corner.