Dedication of Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball & Dr. Caryl Guth Women's Basketball Clubhouses Marks Historic Moment for Wake Forest
8/31/2022 8:00:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
These new clubhouses bring total investments in Demon Deacons men’s and women’s basketball facilities to nearly $26 million over the last five years.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Thanks to the incredible leadership of nearly 300 loyal supporters, including alumni Dr. Caryl Guth, Chris Paul and Mit Shah, Wake Forest University will dedicate the new on-campus clubhouses of men's and women's basketball student-athletes on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse & Dr. Caryl Guth Women's Basketball Clubhouse includes new locker rooms, lounge areas, training rooms and nutrition zones for the Demon Deacons programs. These projects mark the moment of continued progress on the 4th Quarter Drive to improve upon the World Class Student-Athlete Experience provided to Wake Forest student-athletes.
Pre-construction began over the winter break in Dec. 2021 and Wake Forest's men's and women's basketball student-athletes will move into this world class facility later in September.
The Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball & Dr. Caryl Guth Women's Basketball Clubhouses are fully funded by donor gifts and the project was unanimously approved by the Wake Forest University Board of Trustees at its January 2022 meeting. The $7.2M million total project price tag includes all design, construction, maintenance and operational support, and no long-term debt will be incurred.
These World Class facilities include:
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Overall Space - 6,125 & 6,147 Square Footage, respectively.
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The new Clubhouses more than double the size of the current Miller locker rooms, which were constructed in 2001.
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The Dr. Caryl Guth Women's Basketball Clubhouse is on the third floor and just steps away from Budd Gymnasium to maximize efficiency and convenience for the student-athletes.
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The Chris Paul Family Clubhouse is located on the fourth floor and features an open staircase directly into the Shah Basketball Complex.
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The locker room in each clubhouse includes 18 expansive player lockers with built-in ventilation, wireless charging station for electronics, RGB LED lighting and 43" digital screens above each locker.
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The players lounge in each clubhouse has three separate TV/multimedia areas with comfortable seating for rest, relaxation and a space for the student-athletes . Additionally, there is a nutrition area in this space with a community table for team meals.
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Each Clubhouse features state-of-the-art sports medicine and performance elements, including recovery pods and hydrophytherapy, as well as showers and bathrooms.
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Wake Forest basketball student-athletes can enjoy an outdoor heated covered patio with a view of the beautiful Reynolda Campus and Kentner Stadium.
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Wake Forest Athletics partnered with Vannoy Construction as the contractor for the project and the architecture firm of Walter Robbs provided the design.
Additionally, construction of these clubhouses provided tremendous Value to Winston-Salem as 41 different sub contractors/trades worked on this project and approximately 195 jobs were created. With that, 33 of the 41 contractors that worked on this project are located within a 35 mile radius of Wake Forest's Reynolda campus. 56.5 percent of the funds raised for the project came from outside the Triad region.
Responding to the lead gifts of Chris Paul, Dr. Caryl Guth and Mit Shah to fully fund this World Class facility, Wake Forest is especially grateful for the leadership of the these generous donors:
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Hal & Rita Rosser Family.
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Larry & Ann Johnston Family.
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Roy & Grace Nifong Family.
Overall, 284 donors have contributed to the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball & Dr. Caryl Guth Women's Basketball Clubhouses and fundraising efforts are ongoing for additional basketball program support efforts. Additionally, this project is a part of Wake Forest Athletics 4th Quarter Drive that includes the McCreary Football Complex and the renovation of the Miller Center for Student-Athlete Academic Services/Student-Athlete Career Development.
Nearly 500 donors have contributed to the 4th Quarter Drive effort.
The new clubhouses will replace the current locker rooms that are located on the first floor of the Miller Center that were constructed in 2001.
What They Are Saying
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Director of Athletics John Currie:
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"Thursday's dedication represents another massive leap forward in Wake Forest's commitment to providing a World Class Student Athlete Experience and championship level resources for our men's and women's basketball programs. I am especially grateful to Dr. Caryl Guth, Chris Paul, Mit Shah and all our loyal Deacon Club members and dedicated basketball alumni for making this possible. Thanks to President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. and our University leadership, staff members from Wake Forest Facilities & Campus Services and our Athletics staff, along with Vannoy (and the architects) have done an incredible job of creating these transformational spaces in just nine months"
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Head Coach Megan Gebbia:
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"First and foremost, I am thankful for the leadership here at Wake Forest who have made this day possible. Dr. Caryl Guth has meant so much to this program for a number of years and her efforts along with so many others have impacted the lives of so many women's basketball student-athletes and improved their experience not only on the court but off the court at Wake Forest. This clubhouse will help our program for years to come and it immediately enhances our ability to raise the program level not only within the ACC, but nationally."
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Head Coach Steve Forbes:
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"We are so appreciative of Chris, his family and the Chris Paul Family Foundation for making such a generous gift to our program. The Paul Family Clubhouse will provide our current and former players a world-class space to build relationships, bond as a team and create memories that will last a lifetime. This transformational gift will impact our program for generations to come. We are very grateful for the unwavering and generous support of Mit Shah, Chris Paul and all our loyal Wake Forest Basketball supporters."
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Women's Basketball Season Tickets Information
Claim your spot in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum for what is shaping up to be another exciting season for Megan Gebbia's inaugural season with the Demon Deacons! Deposits for 2022-23 Wake Forest women's basketball season tickets are now being accepted.
Men's Basketball Season Tickets Information
Coming off a record-setting season where the Deacs set a school record for home victories and tied a Wake Forest record for ACC wins, Decon Nation can purchase a season membership deposit for the 2022-23 season.
Women's Basketball Season Outlook
Head coach Megan Gebbia inherits a young but talented team led by rising junior guard Jewel Spear. Spear is the first sophomore leading scorer in the conference since the 2011-12 season and just the third in the last 20 years. She averaged 18.3 points per game a season ago.
Additionally, Spear's 90 three pointers ranked second in the ACC and is the second most in single-season program history.
She had one of the greatest performances in program history against ETSU on Dec. 13, netting 40 points, the second best mark in school history while also breaking the program record with 10 three-point makes.
Spear went for 30-plus three times this season and 20-plus 10 times.
Upperclassmen Olivia Summiel and Kaia Harrison assumed new roles as captains alongside Spear and outgoing senior Christina Morra. Summiel had five games with double-digit rebounds including a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over in-state Charlotte. Harrison helped take the reins at the point guard position with four or more assists in four of the last 10 games of the season.
Freshman guard Elise Williams finished second on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game while also leading the Demon Deacons in assists (87) and steals (51).
Additionally, forward Niyah Becker got valuable international experience with the Canadian U23 Team alongside Morra. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native recorded a season-high 13 points three times during the 2021-22 including a 6-of-8 performance in the regular-season finale against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech. She tallied her first double-double as a Deac in a home win over Troy with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Men's Basketball Season Outlook
After showing the biggest single-season turnaround in program history, which was also one of the best in NCAA history, the Demon Deacons are looking forward to building off the 25-win, third-round NIT performance from year two of the Forbes Era last season.
Team veteran Daivien Williamson is the lone returning starter from the 2021-22 squad, along with other returners Cameron Hildreth, Lucas Taylor, Matthew Marsh, Damari Monsanto and Robert McCray. Freshmen Zach Kellar and Bobi Klintman joined the group in the summer, along with four transfers.
Forbes and Co. signed one grad transfer in Tyree Appleby, who has scored over 1,500 career points and spent the past two seasons with the Florida Gators. Younger players with some experience have also been added to the mix. Jao Ituka comes from Marist and was the Freshman of the Year in the MAAC. Andrew Carr joined the team after two years at Delaware and was a part of an NCAA Tournament team last March. Davion Bradford, a sophomore from Kansas State, rounds out the group. Standing 6-11, Bradford played in all 29 games his freshman year, averaging 20.8 minutes per contest. His 62.1 percent from the field was the second-highest in school history and highest ever by a freshman.
The Deacs took a 'Books and Basketball' trip to Europe after finishing summer workouts. They visited London, Paris, Normandy and Amsterdam before returning to campus in time to begin fall classes. The team also played two games while abroad, against the London Lions and the Paris All-Stars, winning both games by a combined 72 points.
The Deacs open the regular season November 7 against Fairfiled inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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