For UConn, the success of men’s and women’s basketball on the court has translated into success off the court: national recognition, dramatic new levels of applications and admissions, and alumni pride in the University and its achievements.
This success wasn’t accidental; it happened because of Hall-of-Fame coaching and leadership, dedicated student-athletes, and a home arena – Harry A. Gampel Pavilion – that is among the best environments for playing basketball nationally.
However, unlike other basketball powers, UConn lacks a state-of-the-art space dedicated to both the academic and athletic development of its basketball student-athletes.
That is changing, thanks to a fundraising campaign led by a group of staff, alumni, and friends of the University, working in concert with the Division of Athletics and the UConn Foundation.
Many of them gathered at a reception hosted in Westport recently by Bill Mitchell, an avid supporter of UConn basketball.
At the gathering, President Susan Herbst called construction of the center a top priority that will benefit both the University and the greater community. “Athletics is the front porch of a university,” she said. “It grabs the attention of the American people, then you can open the door and show them great teaching, learning, and research inside. By helping recruit the best student-athletes and supporting them as they inspire us all, the new center is vital to maintaining the excellence that is synonymous with UConn. We cannot expect to continue our success by standing still while everyone around us is investing in their programs and students.”
The new center will feature dedicated practice gyms for the two basketball programs, along with locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and areas for academic support, video analysis, sports medicine, and strength training. It will also have many other purposes when not used for basketball, including intramural sports and community programming, and will allow Gampel Pavilion to host additional events as well.
Coach Calhoun said UConn basketball would never have reached its current level of success without the alumni and friends who have provided steadfast support throughout the years. “I tell potential new players there is no better place to play basketball,” he said. “The world of college basketball is going through dramatic change. Let’s make sure UConn basketball stays where it belongs.”
Paul Pendergast, interim director of athletics, showed photos of new facilities built by UConn rivals, such as the University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, and the University of Louisville. “We are a competitive bunch, academically and athletically,” he said. “It’s important for everyone to know that without this facility, we are falling behind our competition.”
Robert Skinner ’93, a member of the UConn Foundation Board of Directors and chairman of the Athletics Campaign Steering Committee, who helped organize the reception, said, “If the UConn community wants to keep Storrs the college basketball capital of the nation, the center is not just a ‘nice-to-have,’ but a ‘must-have.’ We need other donors, at all levels, who have been inspired by UConn basketball in the past to step up and invest in its future.”
The fundraising effort received a major public boost in January when Peter J. and Pamela H. Werth of Woodbridge, Conn., made an historic $4.5-million pledge of support, the largest single private gift ever to the Division of Athletics.
The project is an ambitious one, added Skinner. “In the span of just several months, we’ve moved from commitments of $7 million to $16 million. We will reach our goal.”
