Photo by: ©WFU/Ken Bennett
Deacon Sports Xtra: Inside the Dedication of the Chris Paul Family Men’s Basketball Clubhouse
9/19/2022 11:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
It was family that helped Winston-Salem native Chris Paul choose to play college basketball at Wake Forest back in 2003, and it's the family-like relationships he built while on campus that keeps him coming back.
Paul and his family, including his parents Charles and Robin Paul, were part of a dedication ceremony earlier this month for the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse — a 6,125 square foot world class facility that gives student-athletes a space to change, relax and bond.
"The great thing about the clubhouse is that the ultimate team player in the NBA understands how important that is for team chemistry, for our guys to have a place to go and be together," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said about the Pauls' generosity in funding the project. "They will build memories and bond. Team chemistry is important to me, and that was the final piece that we were missing in terms of having a dedicated place for them to go and be together.
"Today is transformational because we now have a world-class clubhouse for those guys to enjoy."
In addition to having an expansive 18-player locker room, the facility has multiple multimedia areas with seating, a nutrition area, recovery pods, showers and bathrooms, and hydrotherapy.
"I have been in a lot of practice facilities in my career, and I can't imagine there's 10 better ones in the United States than what we have here from the bottom to the top," Forbes said. "We have a dedicated strength training area downstairs where the weight room is probably the best in the country for basketball. We have a nutrition center on the second floor. The third floor has the offices, which are still being renovated.
"We have the practice facility here and now on the fourth floor we have the Chris Paul Family Clubhouse. There's really nothing facility-wise that we need. We have everything here."
A mere three years ago, Wake Forest celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the Shah Basketball Complex, with more than 6,000 square feet of strength and conditioning space, offices for staff and state-of-the-art practice facilities. The investment and upgrades are still a bit of a secret to the college sports world at large but continue to wow anyone who visits campus.
"When I bring friends of mine here who are in the coaching industry, they're shocked," Forbes said. "People just don't understand what we have here. We're very fortunate to have it, and we're going to build on it. Facilities are important not just in recruiting, but in helping players turn their dreams into reality and building them into the best possible players they can become.
"Once they get here it's a one-stop shop. They can work out, lift, eat, sleep and study. You never have to leave this building, so it's an incredible opportunity for them. It's all so convenient."
Forbes has always insisted his players come to visit him or someone on staff in their offices each day before 1 p.m., where they often chat about everything but basketball. The location of the new Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse makes those daily meetings even more convenient.
"Our offices are right here, so it's just coming down the hallway and going up the stairs to get to the clubhouse, and they can do the same coming to us," Forbes said. "The guys have to stop by the office every day before 1 p.m. and have a conversation with us. Now they can do it and then go somewhere and hang out. Now we can see each other more.
"Once you've completed a tough practice, it's nice to go up to the clubhouse and just hang out. We just haven't had that. I'm so appreciative of the Paul family for everything they've done and everything they're doing. My personal relationship with the family has been unbelievable."
Wake Forest President Susan Wente was part of the dedication ceremony, thanking the Paul family for their interest in future Demon Deacon success.
"As one of our most renowned student-athletes, you know first-hand how much camaraderie and relationships mean in building winning teams," Wente said. "To the entire Paul family, I say thank you for your incredibly strong support in so many ways."
"You are absolutely the right leader at the right place at the right time," said Mit Shah, part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, a lodging investment company based in Atlanta. "We are going to win championships together on this campus and on this court."
Shah vividly remembers Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser raving about meeting the Paul family on their visit to campus when he was just a prospect from West Forsyth High School.
"Skip was in awe of the Paul family," Shah said. "He would share with me that Charles and Robin were so special, and that they raised this family full of love where faith, hard work and gratitude defined their family name."
Paul closely tracked the Demon Deacons last season as Forbes engineered the biggest one-season turnaround in program history, as the Deacs grabbed 25 wins and made a run to the quarterfinals of the NIT.
"I'm forever grateful to coach Forbes," Paul said. "What you've already done with the program has been unbelievable. I remember sitting on those Zoom calls. You've been amazing. The energy is back here at Wake Forest."
The power of that endorsement was not lost on Forbes.
"It feels great for Chris to come back and say those things about our program and where it's headed," he said. "It's everything, because of who he is and what he's accomplished. He's been in the league 17 years and the average NBA career in four years. That alone is incredible. Then to have the success he's had both on and off the court is just incredible. He's a leader in the NBA.
"It's a great opportunity for our guys to have a role model like that who is successful not just in basketball, but in life. Having Chris Paul involved means everything. Plus, he's from Winston-Salem and he's never forgotten that."
The Paul family celebrated the dedication together as a family while remembering that it was family that brought him to Wake Forest back in 2003 and family that keeps bringing them back.
"When I had all these offers, it was my family that kept me home," Paul said. "Every time I played at The Joel, I had my crew there. Still to this day, 18 years in the league I have my crew here, and I'm so grateful for that. It's just amazing to be here with my family.
"Winston-Salem and Wake Forest mean so much to me. You can move away, but they can never take home out of you. I'm honored and grateful to everyone who helped make this happen.
Paul and his family, including his parents Charles and Robin Paul, were part of a dedication ceremony earlier this month for the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse — a 6,125 square foot world class facility that gives student-athletes a space to change, relax and bond.
"The great thing about the clubhouse is that the ultimate team player in the NBA understands how important that is for team chemistry, for our guys to have a place to go and be together," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said about the Pauls' generosity in funding the project. "They will build memories and bond. Team chemistry is important to me, and that was the final piece that we were missing in terms of having a dedicated place for them to go and be together.
"Today is transformational because we now have a world-class clubhouse for those guys to enjoy."
In addition to having an expansive 18-player locker room, the facility has multiple multimedia areas with seating, a nutrition area, recovery pods, showers and bathrooms, and hydrotherapy.
"I have been in a lot of practice facilities in my career, and I can't imagine there's 10 better ones in the United States than what we have here from the bottom to the top," Forbes said. "We have a dedicated strength training area downstairs where the weight room is probably the best in the country for basketball. We have a nutrition center on the second floor. The third floor has the offices, which are still being renovated.
"We have the practice facility here and now on the fourth floor we have the Chris Paul Family Clubhouse. There's really nothing facility-wise that we need. We have everything here."
A mere three years ago, Wake Forest celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the Shah Basketball Complex, with more than 6,000 square feet of strength and conditioning space, offices for staff and state-of-the-art practice facilities. The investment and upgrades are still a bit of a secret to the college sports world at large but continue to wow anyone who visits campus.
"When I bring friends of mine here who are in the coaching industry, they're shocked," Forbes said. "People just don't understand what we have here. We're very fortunate to have it, and we're going to build on it. Facilities are important not just in recruiting, but in helping players turn their dreams into reality and building them into the best possible players they can become.
"Once they get here it's a one-stop shop. They can work out, lift, eat, sleep and study. You never have to leave this building, so it's an incredible opportunity for them. It's all so convenient."
Forbes has always insisted his players come to visit him or someone on staff in their offices each day before 1 p.m., where they often chat about everything but basketball. The location of the new Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse makes those daily meetings even more convenient.
"Our offices are right here, so it's just coming down the hallway and going up the stairs to get to the clubhouse, and they can do the same coming to us," Forbes said. "The guys have to stop by the office every day before 1 p.m. and have a conversation with us. Now they can do it and then go somewhere and hang out. Now we can see each other more.
"Once you've completed a tough practice, it's nice to go up to the clubhouse and just hang out. We just haven't had that. I'm so appreciative of the Paul family for everything they've done and everything they're doing. My personal relationship with the family has been unbelievable."
Wake Forest President Susan Wente was part of the dedication ceremony, thanking the Paul family for their interest in future Demon Deacon success.
"As one of our most renowned student-athletes, you know first-hand how much camaraderie and relationships mean in building winning teams," Wente said. "To the entire Paul family, I say thank you for your incredibly strong support in so many ways."
"You are absolutely the right leader at the right place at the right time," said Mit Shah, part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, a lodging investment company based in Atlanta. "We are going to win championships together on this campus and on this court."
Shah vividly remembers Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser raving about meeting the Paul family on their visit to campus when he was just a prospect from West Forsyth High School.
"Skip was in awe of the Paul family," Shah said. "He would share with me that Charles and Robin were so special, and that they raised this family full of love where faith, hard work and gratitude defined their family name."
Paul closely tracked the Demon Deacons last season as Forbes engineered the biggest one-season turnaround in program history, as the Deacs grabbed 25 wins and made a run to the quarterfinals of the NIT.
"I'm forever grateful to coach Forbes," Paul said. "What you've already done with the program has been unbelievable. I remember sitting on those Zoom calls. You've been amazing. The energy is back here at Wake Forest."
The power of that endorsement was not lost on Forbes.
"It feels great for Chris to come back and say those things about our program and where it's headed," he said. "It's everything, because of who he is and what he's accomplished. He's been in the league 17 years and the average NBA career in four years. That alone is incredible. Then to have the success he's had both on and off the court is just incredible. He's a leader in the NBA.
"It's a great opportunity for our guys to have a role model like that who is successful not just in basketball, but in life. Having Chris Paul involved means everything. Plus, he's from Winston-Salem and he's never forgotten that."
The Paul family celebrated the dedication together as a family while remembering that it was family that brought him to Wake Forest back in 2003 and family that keeps bringing them back.
"When I had all these offers, it was my family that kept me home," Paul said. "Every time I played at The Joel, I had my crew there. Still to this day, 18 years in the league I have my crew here, and I'm so grateful for that. It's just amazing to be here with my family.
"Winston-Salem and Wake Forest mean so much to me. You can move away, but they can never take home out of you. I'm honored and grateful to everyone who helped make this happen.
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