By Annie Riley
Staff Writer
A Bonaventure Alumnus and his wife donated $75,000 to the women’s basketball team’s locker room.
John H. and Kay Meisch donated the money to honor St. Bonaventure women’s basketball head coach, Jim Crowley. Crowley is a two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and ESPN named him National Coach of the Year for 2011-2012, according to a Dec. 4 university press release.
Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D. and university president, introduced the campaign to raise $300,000 to build the new locker room on the night of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament field announced, according to the same university press release.
John H. and Kay Meisch have been St. Bonaventure University principal patrons of the annual Francis Week celebration, and they are sponsors of the Fr. Jerome Kelly Francis Week speaker. Their recent contribution will pay for 25 percent of the $300,000 fund needed to build the new locker room, according the same press release.
“Jim Crowley and the women’s basketball team have brought the spirit of St. Bonaventure to new heights,” John H. Meische said in the press release. “With the many hours that the team spends in training, they deserve better facilities. It is a pleasure to contribute to the women’s locker room in honor of Jim Crowley.”
According to head coach Jim Crowley, the new women’s basketball locker room and meeting place will be a place that Division-I student athletes will be proud of.
Plans for the locker room include a meeting room with state-of-the-art video equipment, suitable bath and changing areas and the locker room itself, which will include 15 spacious and personalized lockers.
To open in time for the fall semester, the goal for construction of the new locker room to be done is set for the summer of 2013.
rileyam12@bonaventure.edu
