COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received a $2.5M gift from an anonymous donor to tip-off a $5M renovation of Mizzou Arena's men's and women's basketball facilities, Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced today.
"The continued generosity of our donors to support Mizzou's student-athletes in their pursuit of academic and excellence is overwhelming," Sterk said. "Mizzou Arena is a state-of-the-art facility which provides a tremendous home court advantage for our programs, and this renovation to the areas our student-athletes use each and every day will greatly enhance their Mizzou experience.
"We are blessed with tremendous individuals leading our basketball programs in Cuonzo Martin and Robin Pingeton, and this transformational gift was given in large part because of the donor's belief in the vision our coaches have cast for their programs," he added. "While we still have some work to do before getting this project started, the momentum generated from this generous gift will go a long way toward getting us to the finish line."
The project is expected to be completed ahead of the 2020-21 basketball season, and will feature new team locker rooms, lounges, meeting areas and coaches locker rooms for both teams, as well as expanded training and weight rooms that each program will share.
"We are very grateful for the generosity of this gift that will allow us to enhance our locker room, sports medicine areas and more," said Martin, who will enter his third season on the Mizzou sideline in 2019-20. "Anytime you can improve the student-athlete experience is great for your program and we are thankful for this opportunity."
Mizzou Arena has served as the home of the Tigers' men's and women's basketball teams since November 2004, and while some team areas for both programs have been renovated since then, this latest overhaul is expected to take the student-athlete experience to an entirely new level for both programs.
"We are incredibly grateful for this donation and investment into our men's and women's basketball programs," said Pingeton. "The Mizzou Community has always supported our team and we cannot express how appreciative we are for this generous gift. The upgrades we will be able to make from this donation will allow us to continue to showcase Mizzou Basketball in a first-class manner."
For all the latest on Mizzou's basketball programs, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
