UConn basketball is one step closer to building a new practice facility, a long-anticipated project that interim AD Paul Pendergast hopes to have completed by late 2013 or early 2014.
The University received a $4.5 million gift from the Werth family of Woodbrige in late December, and the school announced on Friday that it had received two anonymous gifts totaling $1.05 million.
After the Werth donation, Pendergast said UConn was roughly halfway to the $30 million it needed to make the project a reality.
Here’s some info from the UConn athletic department:
The donors, who have asked to remain anonymous, have each pledged approximately $500,000 to the project. Both are UConn alumni and long-time supporters of the University and the Division of Athletics. The two donors cited the legacy of men’s basketball coach head coach Jim Calhoun, associate head coach George Blaney and the rest of the basketball staff, along with the goal of future NCAA championships, as the primary motivation for the gifts.
“Our supporters continue to show their generosity and enthusiasm as we move closer to making this project a reality,” said Paul Pendergast, UConn’s Interim Director of Athletics. “These individuals are dedicated supporters of our programs and truly understand the value of providing top-notch facilities so that our student-athletes can perform to the best of their abilities in both academics and athletics.”
The Basketball Development Center will be a 70,000 square foot facility to be located on the current Memorial Stadium site, and is the first major construction project at UConn to be funded entirely through private donations. It will feature dedicated practice gyms for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, along with locker rooms, coaches’ offices and areas for academic support, video analysis, sports medicine and strength training.
I can’t understand why all these top basketball schools who have won national championships with out a practice court thinks they need one now?
Mayor McCheese…. you are an idiot. The basketball program is SOLELY responsible for improving the academic situation at UConn. By becoming successful in the late 80′s and maintaining a national presence, UConn’s applications skyrocketed from local CT students and surrounding New England area, to NATIONAL applications. Students from around the country and world now want to come to UConn. UConn didnt have that before.
Also… by having an influx of students applying to get into UConn, UConn was able to raise their academic standards for admissions….instead of an 1000 SAT score back in 1989… now you need a 1300 or so just to be considered… a 1500 is auto-acceptance.
So now UConn has more students paying out-of-state tuition,and better quality students….making UConn a lot of money and a better institution at the same time. All thanks to a national presence in basketball. The football and basketball programs also fund every other sport at UConn.
You are very short sighted.
What a stupid waste of money!
Imagine the morons who are donating $30 million so that 50 kids – most of whom are from out of state and are already on full scholarships and who for the most part won’t even graduate from UCONN – can practice basketball.
Imagine what that $30 million could do for academic programs. How many endowed academic chairs and merit scholarships could be funded by this not to mention academic infrastructure.