UA Gymnasium, Pool to be Dedicated

Arizona Athletics will dedicate the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium and Kasser Family Pool on Monday.

The University of Arizona department of athletics will dedicate the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium and the Kasser Family Pool on Monday.

The dedications of these facilities come as part of Campaign Arizona Phase II, which included construction of the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium and the Kasser Family Pool.

Jefferson donated $3.5 million as the lead gift of Phase II. The gift is the second largest individual donation to the University of Arizona athletic department and is also believed to be the largest ever given by a current professional athlete to his alma mater.

Phase II also included the expansion of the Mary Roby Gymnastics Practice Facility and improvements to the entry way and promenade adjacent to the McKale Memorial Center, making the space more inviting for fans and students to gather for tailgating or socializing.

Monday's dedication event will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center/Richard Jefferson Gymnasium, located at North Campbell Avenue and East Enke Drive.

The 20,000-square foot Richard Jefferson Gymnasium houses two full-court basketball courts running end to end, east to west, as well as room for four basketball cross courts and five volleyball cross courts. Drop-down nets separate the main courts in order to add flexibility to the multi-use facility.

Jefferson, a Phoenix native, was was a three-year letterwinner for the Wildcats from 1998 to 2001.

During his 84-game career, with 77 starts, Jefferson averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

The sixth Lottery Pick in Arizona history, Jefferson capped his career by leading Arizona to the 2001 national championship game. Along the way, Jefferson was an all-Midwest Regional and all-Final Four selection. He was also the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft.

Now in his eighth year in the National Basketball Association, Jefferson has averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and has averaged better than 20 points per game twice – 2005 and 2008 – for a season during his career.

Jefferson led the New Jersey Nets to NBA Finals appearances in both 2002 and 2003 and was an NBA second-team all-Rookie selection in 2002. He currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Kasser Family Pool is a 33-meter by 25-meter state-of-the-art diving well that features two 1-meter and three 3-meter springboards on concrete short stands.

The diving structure has platform heights of 3, 5, 7.5 and 10 meters, each with Rough-Tex surfacing. The pool has built-in spray surface agitation and an air-sparging system under all platforms and two of the 3-meter springboards.

I. Michael "Mike" Kasser is president of the Holualoa Companies, a real estate investment company with interests in residential and commercial real estate in the Northeast, Southwest, Hawaii and Europe. As Holualoa grew, Kasser and his wife, Beth, moved to Tucson in 1994 with their children, Violet and Mikey.

The Kassers contribute to a number of programs and colleges on the campus of the UA, such as the College of Science, Museum of Art and Intercollegiate Athletics. Longtime supporters of UA Athletics, the Kasser Family also generously contributed to Phase I of Campaign Arizona, as witnessed by the Kasser Sports Medicine Center.

The Kassers are avid athletes and sponsor several sporting events throughout Tucson and Phoenix including the Tucson Marathon, El Tour de Phoenix, Tour of the Tucson Mountains and the Tucson Triathlon Series.

Et Cetera

  • Extra Info

     

    Important information: Media representatives who would like to attend the event should register by calling Phoebe Chalk at 520-850-2136.


  • Contact Info
    Media Contact

    Phoebe Chalk 

    Arizona Athletics

    520-850-2136 

    pchalk@email.arizona.edu