Former Wichita State star Fred VanVleet was back at Koch Arena last weekend for the 10-year reunion of the 2013 Final Four squad/to take in the newly renovated Fred VanVleet Sports Performance Complex.
(via Taylor Eldridge/The Wichita Eagle):
In his first trip back to Koch Arena in quite some time two summers ago, Fred VanVleet was stunned at what he saw.
More than five years had passed since his All-American career when the Shockers reached a Final Four and had a historic 35-1 season, yet the weight room for the men’s basketball team remained the same: completely outdated.
In a spur of the moment decision, VanVleet brought the situation to the light in his homecoming press conference and promised to make a change.
Two years and a $250,000 donation later, VanVleet was back in the Roundhouse on Friday night to see first-hand the renovations made to the weight room, now known as the Fred VanVleet Sports Performance Complex.
“I usually keep my word,” VanVleet told media with a grin. “It’s a good feeling to see it come full circle and be able to make an impact and give back to a program and a community that meant so much to my upbringing and my development as a young player, turning myself from a young kid into a man by the time I left.
“A lot of work was done in this space right here. It looks a little bit better today than when I was here. It’s all about pushing the program as far as we can.”
Gone are the generic weights, replaced by brand-new, Shocker-themed weights. Brand-new work-out stations are everywhere, complete with monitors that allows strength and conditioning coach Ashtin Meerpohl to program work-out plans for each individual player before they enter the weight room. The monitors also count repetitions for the athletes and can track bar speed and power, which allows coaches to create competitions.
A wall was knocked down for additional space and a 34-yard black turf with yellow “Shockers” written on it was installed for players to work pushing a sled. A nutrition station was also installed, which will allow Meerpohl to store fruits and make smoothies for the players.
“It’s an unbelievable transformation for those of you who saw the old room,” Meerpohl explained to a group of donors touring the facility with VanVleet. “This is completely different from what it was and it’s going to help our program tremendously.”
After VanVleet publicly called for improvements to be made, his donation was matched by longtime WSU supporters Steve and Regine Feilmeier and Ricky and Jeanie Brotherton to make the $1 million renovation possible. The project was spearheaded by WSU athletic director Kevin Saal, who made sure the timing lined up for VanVleet’s return this weekend for the 10-year reunion of the 2013 Final Four team.
