Despite a disappointing loss to Duke on Saturday Jan. 28, Wake Forest basketball has a reason to celebrate.
Wake Forest alumnus and trustee Mit Shah (’91) donated $5 million in support of Wake Forest Basketball. The money will help fund the basketball player development facility currently under construction.
Shah is the youngest alumnus to contribute considerable amounts of money to the university’s Wake Will campaign. The recent donation is in addition to an estimated $2.5 million he has previously donated to academic resources, university facilities and student financial aid.
“Mit has been a trailblazer at Wake Forest and we are grateful for his ongoing support of our university, our athletic department and our basketball programs,” said President Hatch in the Wake Forest News press release.
The Shah Basketball Complex will be an extension of the Sutton Sports Performance Center and the Miller Center, expected completion next summer. The $12 million construction endeavor includes $9 million state-of-the art basketball complex and a $3 million investment on the third floor of Sutton Sports Center.
The Wake Forest basketball program will receive two expanded practice gyms, allowing the both men’s and women’s teams to practice simultaneously. Other features include basketball-specific strength and conditioning space, hydrotherapy equipment, coaches’ offices, locker rooms and meeting rooms. The new nutrition zone will include an on staff sports dietitian, teaching kitchen and dining area for team meals. The complex features a heritage area dedicated to former Wake Forest basketball legends.
“The Shah Basketball Complex creates an incredible advantage for our program,” said men’s basketball head Coach Danny Manning in the Wake Forest News press release. “Thanks to Mit’s continued leadership and generosity, we’re going from one of the oldest and least efficient facilities in the ACC to one of the best in the country.”
A dedicated Demon Deacon, Shah is also a Deacon Club member, a former member of the Deacon Club Board of Directors and an active member of the Wake Will Athletic Campaign Committee and Chairman of the Basketball Executive Committee. Shah says Wake Forest had significant influence on his life. The gift was motivated by the university’s commitment to its students and student athletes.
“Wake Forest is a community where our professors and coaches create a deeply personal, profound and lifelong impact on our students and student athletes,” Shah said in a Wake Forest News press release. “This is the Wake Forest way, and we must continue to ensure that we invest personal, financial and physical resources which enable each of our students and student-athletes to find their passion and purpose, achieve their individual potential, become leaders, and in turn, lead lives that matter.”
Shah was honored during the first half of Saturday’s men’s basketball game with the presentation of a personalized jersey.
“Mit’s commitment to Pro Humanitate complements his vision and leadership,” Hatch said in the Wake Forest News press release. “Together, these qualities have benefitted Wake Forest tremendously as he has raised the bar on young alumnus philanthropic support and engagement.”
During his time as a student at Wake Forest, Shah competed on the men’s tennis team. Beginning his sophomore year, he worked part-time at the Graylyn Estate. Over the subsequent three years, his job at the Graylyn taught him lessons in business and economics.
“Our responsibility remains to these young men and women who eagerly arrive on our campus, who are embraced and mentored by our caring community,” Shah said in the Wake Forest News press release. “And whose personal and professional development takes place in our best-in-class facilities.”
Shah is the C.E.O. of Noble Investment Group, a lodging investment organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a part-owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children.
