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THE CARMELO K. ANTHONY BASKETBALL CENTER
The Syracuse University basketball team captured its first-ever National Championship in 2003. The man who played an integral role on that title team, also played an integral role in having a basketball only practice facility built on campus. Carmelo Anthony always wanted to give back to Syracuse University. And give back he did. Anthony’s lead gift of $3 million kick-started the construction of the facility. On September 24, 2009, the $19 million Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center that houses the men’s and women’s basketball teams officially opened. Anthony’s gift represented one of the largest individual donations to Syracuse University Athletics and is also believed to be one of the largest by a current professional athlete to the school they attended. “I would never in a million years think I would be sitting here today six or seven years after winning a national championship, doing the ribbon cutting for my building,” exclaimed Anthony. The 54,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility features two full-practice courts, a strength and conditioning room, state-of-the art athletic training suite, offices for both coaching staffs, and complete locker room facilities. JIM BOEHEIM/ORANGE BASKETBALL
“I think the biggest thing with the Melo Center is it provides us with an unbelievable place to practice and to work out and to get treatment within 10 feet of each other. I think our players are benefitting and I think recruits see that benefit when they come in. To have everything right there. It’s been a tremendous addition to our recruiting as well as to our own success on the court.” “I think it’s helped with consistency in practice and time. Players can come in 24 hours a day to work on their game. I think that’s good for our team and it’s very good for recruiting.” |
