Oklahoma men's basketball players Buddy Hield and Je'lon Hornbeak were still in midst of the move-in process at newly opened Headington Hall Sunday afternoon when local media was invited to take a tour of the university's new dormitory.

Hornbeak and Hield lived last year in OU's Bud Wilkinson House as freshman. Though they liked staying in the dorm just across the street from the new hall, both admitted there are amenities in the new hall neither player would pass up if given this opportunity.

video by Eddie Radosevich

The sophomores' two-bedroom suite is complete with a microwave, a stand-alone refrigerator with a freezer and a bathroom for each of them. Not exactly your mom and dad's dorm room.

"Growing up I shared a bathroom with everybody in the house, but having your own bathroom is pretty cool," Hield said.

According to Hornbeak, all incoming freshman and sophomore men's basketball players were asked to move into the new dorm. Many, if not all of Oklahoma's football underclassmen were also asked to move into the new dorm, too.

And why not?

The dorm has been called a "game-changer" by OU head football coach Bob Stoops and plans to build it enticed former Sooners Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson to donate $500,000 each to the project. Peterson gave $1 million to OU, but half of it was allotted to building Headington Hall.

All told, Headington Hall was privately funded to the tune of $75 million. It will provide housing for 380 students -- not just student-athletes, but that's nothing new.

The NCAA instituted a rule more than 20 years ago that mandated student-athlete only dorms be phased out of existence by 1996. NCAA bylaw 16.5.1.1 states, "Athletics dormitories shall be defined as institutional dormitories in which at least 50 percent of the residents are student-athletes."

Still, Oklahoma is one of the last remaining athletic departments to operate its own residence hall. When the rule changed, most athletic departments turned their residence halls over to the university to help be sure they stayed in compliance.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione was adamant that if the university was going to buy privately owned property on the corner of Jenkins Avenue and Lindsey Street it needed to be for a grand purpose.

And it does.

Castiglione said one of the real feats the 230,000 square-foot structure accomplishes is putting a roof over the entirety of Oklahoma's incoming student-athlete class, and the many facets of the hall keep up with the times.

"I think the facilities that we have within this entire complex speaks to the state-of-the-art in every regard," Castiglione said.

The dorm also is practical.

Each floor has a set of washers and dryers, and there is a large area called the Academic Commons, which acts as a designated place to study. It contains a reading room and several large tables for students to spread out for long study sessions.

A faculty apartment is located near the Academic Commons as well as a seminar room. The seminar room features a lectern, stadium seating and a large projector screen.

Director of Operations for Headington Hall Bryan Hinnen said the seminar room could be used for watch parties as well as classes, but the Media Commons is the dorm's designated theater room.

14 brown, cushioned chairs have been set in front of a 90-inch flat screen television with the capability to cut to four different screens, which will be handy in 2014 when March Madness erupts again.

Just a few feet south of the Media Commons is the game room where three pool tables and two Ping-Pong tables will have a home. Hinnen said the tables are en route.

The sixth floor, top level of the building, is small and accommodates just about 125 people. And though it contains a ballroom and boardroom, it's meant to be small.

Castiglione said the space will likely be used for donor and alumni events but didn't rule out the occasional wedding.

Near the north end of the building, the Sam Bradford Training Table serves as the dorm cafeteria. It has the capabilities to close off a large section for the football team or act as an intimate setting for recruiting visits.

Castiglione said he believes the hall speaks to Oklahoma's want to do things big, do things right and to continue to set the bar for collegiate excellence.