VIDEO OVERVIEW OF NEW FACILITY  |  RENDERING  |  VIDEO REPLAY OF CEREMONY

OREM, Utah--Utah Valley University broke ground on a new $3.5 million basketball practice and conditioning facility on Wednesday morning at a ceremony celebrating the new building.
 
The 14,500-square-foot facility, which is privately funded, will be named the NUVI Basketball Center after a lead donation from NUVI executive chair Keith Nellesen. The structure will be located on the south side of the UCCU Center on UVU's Orem campus.
 
"What's happening with basketball right now at UVU is breathtaking," said UVU President Matthew S. Holland. "This new facility brings a tremendous new competitive advantage for our recruiting and adds to the momentum of becoming a true powerhouse in WAC play. We are so grateful to all donors for making this possible."
 
The facility, designed by Method Studio, will include 8,000 square feet of court space and nine basketball standards, with "game-day atmosphere" graphics to match the UCCU Center environment. A mesh wall will separate the court from 1,900 square feet of strength and conditioning space, with sliding doors to dampen sound when necessary. A mezzanine level overlooks the court and will include 3,000 square feet of office space split into suites for the men's and women's coaching staff. Each suite will feature a large office for each head coach that can double as a conference room, offices for three assistant coaches and basketball operations.
 
"This facility is the future of Utah Valley University basketball and UVU athletics," said UVU men's basketball coach Mark Pope. "It gives us a place to call our own and allows us to take our program to the next level. Chasing WAC championships and NCAA tournament bids is not a two-hour-a-day project. Such lofty goals will require that we have 24/7 players in a 24/7 program chasing big dreams. This practice center gives us the opportunity to chase those dreams."
 
"NUVI is thrilled to partner with UVU to support Wolverine athletics," Nellesen said. "Many NUVI employees are UVU alumni, and we're proud to continue to strengthen that relationship and help provide UVU student-athletes with the facilities they deserve."
 
Nellesen, together with his wife Melisa, also contributed the initial gift for the Cole Nellesen Building, which will house the Melisa Nellesen Center for Autism at UVU. The University broke ground on the Cole Nellesen Building in April 2016.
 
Other donors include:

• Utah Community Credit Union
• Ryan Toolson, former UVU basketball player, now playing in Europe
• Workers Compensation Fund
• Todd Pedersen, founder and CEO of Vivint
• Alexander's Print Advantage
• Travis Hansen, former UVU and NBA basketball player
• Forte Elements

"These generous financial commitments to our program show that our donors and the University have bought in to the idea that something special is happening here," Pope said. "It's an exciting time for UVU basketball. We are moving the program forward and our future is bright."

QUOTES FROM FORMER PLAYERS
"I think its everybody's dream to come back and help your alma mater especially with the way UVU has been growing. It's a really cool experience to be a part of it. Coach Pope is taking the program to new heights. He's very charasmatic. The team and the school are growing tremendously. It's an exciting time and I'm just glad I could help out with where things are going."
    Ryan Toolson (UVU all-time leading scorer, current professional player in Russia)

"This is a special day for Utah Valley University and the community. It's special for me and my family. We have amazing memories here. My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer my freshman year here. A lot of my memories are of her sitting in the stands supporting me and cheering for me. I met my wife here. This place allowed us the opportunity to be around good people. We feel like a lot of the good choices and blessings in our lives can be attributed to our days back at UVU."
    Travis Hansen (Fomer UVU basketball player)