Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller Make Major Gifts to Indiana Basketball; Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge Named In Their Honor
9/29/2018 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana – Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced today major gifts by IU alumni and former Hoosier All-Americans Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller in support of Indiana Basketball. In recognition of their gifts, the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge will be permanently named in their honor.
"Victor and Cody had tremendous impacts on our men's basketball program during their All-America playing careers, and they continue to do that now that they are NBA standouts," Glass said. "We are tremendously appreciative of their generous gifts for IU Basketball and for their continued involvement with the program. They are both Hoosier legends who represent the best of Indiana University Athletics."
The Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge is part of the newly-renovated Roberts Family Indiana Basketball Team Center, which is located in the southeast corner of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. In addition to the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge, the re-envisioned and remodeled area includes the Andy Mohr Locker Room, the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room, and a new coaches' annex, providing Hoosier players and staff with a space commensurate with its standing as one of the country's pre-eminent basketball programs.
"With Cody and Vic's generosity, I wasn't their coach, and I think that speaks volumes about Indiana University, our administration, our fans and how they were treated, and their overall love for their time here," said IU Coach Archie Miller. "It's a place that they obviously really enjoyed and it contributed to their success. For us to be the beneficiary of their generosity, we can't be thankful enough. We want them to be a part of our program moving forward, sort of a new age and faces that people can look to and say they're giving back and that's a very important thing for our program."
Before Oladipo and Zeller were the No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks, respectively, in the 2013 NBA Draft, the pair helped lead the Hoosier program to tremendous success. Playing together during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, they led IU to a combined 56-16 record, two Sweet 16 appearances, a Big Ten title and a No. 1 national ranking. Both earned All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors following the 2012-13 season.
"It means a lot to be able to give back to not only the school but to future players as well," said Oladipo, who earned third-team All-NBA honors and the NBA's Most Improved Player award after averaging 23.1 points and an NBA-best 2.4 steals last season for the Indiana Pacers. "Players did the same thing for us before we got there and now we are doing the same. Hopefully it continues the rise of Indiana Basketball."
Zeller, who has averaged 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in his first five seasons with Charlotte, echoed Oladipo's sentiment about the importance and desire to give back to the program.
"A few months ago Vic and I were given the opportunity to help out with the locker room project at Assembly Hall. First of all, we were humbled by the opportunity, and secondly we are very blessed to be in a position where we can give back," Zeller said. "We hope this project will help the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall remain at the top, and we hope it will enable players in the future to enjoy the same experience Vic and I did when we were in Bloomington."
These gifts count toward the $3 billion campaign, For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign.
For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign is taking place on all IU-administered campuses including IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend and IU Southeast. The campaign will conclude in June 2020 to coincide with IU's bicentennial year celebration. To learn more about the campaign, its impact and how to participate, visit forall.iu.edu.
"Victor and Cody had tremendous impacts on our men's basketball program during their All-America playing careers, and they continue to do that now that they are NBA standouts," Glass said. "We are tremendously appreciative of their generous gifts for IU Basketball and for their continued involvement with the program. They are both Hoosier legends who represent the best of Indiana University Athletics."
The Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge is part of the newly-renovated Roberts Family Indiana Basketball Team Center, which is located in the southeast corner of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. In addition to the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge, the re-envisioned and remodeled area includes the Andy Mohr Locker Room, the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room, and a new coaches' annex, providing Hoosier players and staff with a space commensurate with its standing as one of the country's pre-eminent basketball programs.
"With Cody and Vic's generosity, I wasn't their coach, and I think that speaks volumes about Indiana University, our administration, our fans and how they were treated, and their overall love for their time here," said IU Coach Archie Miller. "It's a place that they obviously really enjoyed and it contributed to their success. For us to be the beneficiary of their generosity, we can't be thankful enough. We want them to be a part of our program moving forward, sort of a new age and faces that people can look to and say they're giving back and that's a very important thing for our program."
Before Oladipo and Zeller were the No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks, respectively, in the 2013 NBA Draft, the pair helped lead the Hoosier program to tremendous success. Playing together during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, they led IU to a combined 56-16 record, two Sweet 16 appearances, a Big Ten title and a No. 1 national ranking. Both earned All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors following the 2012-13 season.
"It means a lot to be able to give back to not only the school but to future players as well," said Oladipo, who earned third-team All-NBA honors and the NBA's Most Improved Player award after averaging 23.1 points and an NBA-best 2.4 steals last season for the Indiana Pacers. "Players did the same thing for us before we got there and now we are doing the same. Hopefully it continues the rise of Indiana Basketball."
Zeller, who has averaged 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in his first five seasons with Charlotte, echoed Oladipo's sentiment about the importance and desire to give back to the program.
"A few months ago Vic and I were given the opportunity to help out with the locker room project at Assembly Hall. First of all, we were humbled by the opportunity, and secondly we are very blessed to be in a position where we can give back," Zeller said. "We hope this project will help the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall remain at the top, and we hope it will enable players in the future to enjoy the same experience Vic and I did when we were in Bloomington."
These gifts count toward the $3 billion campaign, For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign.
For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign is taking place on all IU-administered campuses including IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend and IU Southeast. The campaign will conclude in June 2020 to coincide with IU's bicentennial year celebration. To learn more about the campaign, its impact and how to participate, visit forall.iu.edu.
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