St. John’s is set to begin construction on a new basketball practice facility — courtesy of the largest financial commitment in school history.
William J. Janetschek, a St. John’s alum, is donating $32.5 million, with approximately $25 million going toward building the basketball facility on the Queens campus, the university said.
The other $7.5 million is set to be devoted to student scholarships.
“We are incredibly grateful to Bill Janetschek for his visionary support,” St. John’s men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino said in a statement. “His donation will have a lasting impact on our program and our players. We look forward to seeing our students thrive in this exceptional new environment.”
The facility will serve the men’s and women’s basketball teams and is set to include fitness, strength and training equipment; hydro-therapy pools; courts; and community spaces, St. John’s said.
It will also include dining facilities, a lounge, video-analysis tools and interactive training modules, according to the university.
Pitino has spoken in the past about the challenges St. John’s faces due to a lack of premium facilities. St. John’s expects construction on the basketball practice center to begin in a matter of months and to be completed by 2027.
The donation follows a resurgent season in which Pitino led St. John’s to its first outright Big East regular-season championship since 1985; its first conference tournament championship since 2000; and its first NCAA Tournament win since 2000.
This offseason, St. John’s has retooled with prized transfers including Bryce Hopkins from Providence; Ian Jackson from North Carolina, Joson Sanon from Arizona State; Oziyah Sellers from Stanford; and Dillon Mitchell from Cincinnati.
Janetschek, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1984 and an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree in 2017 fron St. John’s, is a retired partner and chief financial officer at the Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. investment firm.
