Wake Forest Basketball Program Receives $5 Million Gift From Alumnus Mit Shah

The Wake Forest basketball program has vastly improved in Danny Manning’s third season on the sidelines and the program should only get better thanks to an incredible gift from alumnus Mit Shah. Shah, a 1991 graduate of Wake Forest University and founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, donated $5 million to support the basketball player development center on campus. This is in addition to the $2.5 million he has previously given to Wake Forest University.

Total investment in this project is $12 million. $9 million will be for the state-of-the-start Shah Basketball Complex and an additional $3 million will be for the third floor of the Sutton Sports Performance Center. Work on this project began in November and is expected to be complete by the summer of 2018. What does this mean for the program moving forward?

In one sentence? “We’re going to be good again.” Shah’s gift will give Wake Forest one of the premier basketball facilities in the country. When you combine the facilities with Wake playing in the best conference in the country, Wake’s basketball tradition, it’s going to be an incredibly attractive option for a lot of talented prospects. The completion date is important, as it will be ready by the time 2018 prospects will begin summer classes at their respective schools. This announcement should give the Deacs a major edge with 2018 recruits. When you take the team’s improvement in year three under Manning, plus Chaundee Brown coming in next season, Wake should have a very solid 2018 class and continue to build the program under Manning.

An incredible thank you to Mr. Shah for his outstanding donation to the university. He will be honored during tomorrow’s basketball game against Duke.

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What the facility will include:

Practice Gyms & Sports Science Technology

Existing practice gym in Miller Center will be renovated and enhanced and will connect to a new practice gym located in the Shah Basketball Complex.

Thirteen ceiling and wall-mounted goals will aid player development.

On-court film viewing areas will allow for immediate video analysis and enhanced coaching.

STATS SportVu Technology will provide extensive data to aid development and enhance competitiveness. This technology, used by many NBA teams, utilizes six-cameras throughout the gym to track the real-time positions of players and the ball 25 times per second. STATS is able analyze this player tracking data and create a wealth of advanced statistics based on speed, distance, player separation and ball possession. The combination of player and ball tracking and STATS' rich historical information database provides the most comprehensive and sophisticated basketball data stream available.

Noah Basketball Shooting System will improve players' shooting percentages. It is the only basketball shooting aid that can correctly measure the arc and depth of every shot taken while providing instant feedback to the shooter. The instant feedback allows immediate adaptability and correction to the shot, building muscle memory and confidence within the shooter.

Individual court-side gym lockers, like those found in leading NBA training facilities, will provide a space for players to store personal items and other training tools.

Centralized location of practice gyms, adjoining the coaches' offices and player areas, will provide maximized efficiency, productivity and convenience.

Strength and Conditioning & Player Recovery Areas

6,400 square feet of dedicated strength and conditioning space for Wake Forest Basketball

State-of-the-art strength equipment including Sorinex Olympic platforms, free weights and Hammer Strength machines

VersaClimbers which provide total body cardio vertical training

AlterG® Anti-Gravity treadmill to help players recover faster

RPS Zero Gravity lounge chairs keep athletes' legs elevated during recovery sessions

Cryotherapy chamber to decrease pain and inflammation and facilitate faster body recovery

Convenient access to expanded hydrotherapy area with an underwater treadmill and hot and cold plunge pools

Nutrition Zone with Fueling Station

Dedicated nutrition zone with full-time sports dietitian who can provide nutrition counseling and educational resources

Teaching kitchen allows for enhanced nutrition education and counseling

Grab and go fueling station stocked with healthy snacks, recovery smoothies, and a gluten-free area

Dedicated dining area in the Shah Basketball Complex that can be utilized for team meals

New Coaches' Offices, Recruiting and Heritage Areas

18,000 square foot of new coaches' offices, locker rooms and team meeting spaces featuring state-of-the-art technology

Theatre-style team meeting rooms with dual projectors for both the men's and women's teams

Recruiting room featuring an expansive 21'x 8' video wall with surround sound

Heritage area dedicated to the history of Wake Forest Basketball that will include an interactive touch screen display, program memorabilia and a Legends wall

*All photos courtesy of Wake Forest Athletic Communications