Fred VanVleet takes lead with donation for Wichita State basketball weight room renovation

When Fred VanVleet returned to Koch Arena for The Basketball Tournament in the summer of 2021, he was stunned that the Wichita State men’s basketball team was still working out in the same antiquated weight room that he did.

The NBA world champion and All-Star figured that given WSU’s unprecedented success during his playing career, which included a Final Four run and a record-setting 35-0 start, facilities for the men’s basketball team would be improved in the five years since he graduated. It was a sentiment also shared from former WSU strength and conditioning coach Kerry Rosenboom.

“We’ve got to do better for the basketball team here,” VanVleet said then. “I know we’ve had a ton of success and there’s been money generated all across the university and it seems to have gone everywhere except to the basketball team. So I would like to take the lead on that.”

Less than two years later, true to his word, VanVleet donated $250,000 to start the renovation process, WSU announced in a press release on Thursday. The estimated $1 million project is already more than halfway to its goal after substantial donations from WSU’s most prominent current professional athlete and longtime WSU supporters Steve and Regine Feilmeier and Ricky and Jeanie Brotherton.

“The (renovation project) represents a clear commitment to recruitment, development and retention of elite talent within our basketball and volleyball programs,” WSU athletic director Kevin Saal said in a statement, which also thanked VanVleet for his “truly inspiring” passion for WSU.

The renovation will include new strength equipment and technology to modernize WSU’s training, as well as new performance flooring, turf and a nutrition fueling station. WSU’s strength and conditioning coaches will have access to the latest innovations in sport science, including an athlete management system that will serve as a central hub to aggregate, analyze and visualize performance data.

“We are grateful for the support of generous donors who believe in our holistic approach to student-athlete development and are committed to supporting elite athletics programs positioned to consistently compete for championships,” WSU strength and conditioning coach Ryan Horn said in a statement. “This project not only transforms the Koch Arena weight room into a premier sports performance facility, it provides a unique opportunity to honor the commitment and contributions of past, present and future Shockers.”