The following is an excerpt from a recent Winston-Salem Journal feature by Fran Daniel on the Basketball Player Development Center at Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest University announced Friday that Mit Shah has donated an additional $5 million in support of Wake Forest basketball and the basketball player development facility currently under construction. Shah, an alumnus and member of Wake’s board of trustees, previously donated about $2.5 million to the university for investments in academic resources, university facilities and student financial aid. He is also the chief executive of Noble Investment Group and part owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
“Mit has been a trailblazer at Wake Forest, and we are grateful for his ongoing support of our university, our athletic department and our basketball programs,” Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch said of Shah’s most recent gift to support to the Wake Will Lead campaign. “Mit’s commitment to Pro Humanitate complements his vision and leadership, and together, these qualities have benefited Wake Forest tremendously as he has raised the bar on young alumni philanthropic support and engagement.”
Shah credits Wake with having a significant influence on his life and said the university’s longstanding commitment to the development of its students and student-athletes inspired his gift. “Wake Forest is a community where our professors and coaches create a deeply personal, profound and lifelong impact on our students and student-athletes,” Shah said.
In November, preliminary site work began on the $9 million basketball player development facility named the Shah Basketball Complex. An additional $3 million is being invested on the third floor of the Sutton Sports Performance Center. This $12 million investment of 40,000 square feet of space is dedicated to Wake Forest men’s and women’s basketball programs.
Construction of the Shah Basketball Complex, the Sutton Sports Performance Center and the Miller Center hydrotherapy facility, all expected to be complete in summer 2018, are occurring concurrently. The combined total for the Shah Basketball Complex and the Sutton Sports Performance Center is $50 million.