NBA player and Kitchener native Jamal Murray visited Conestoga’s Recreation Centre on August 10 to shoot hoops with local youth. The visit was part of a cross country tour organized in partnership between the NBA and BMO called Courts Across Canada. Conestoga, the fifth of seven stops along the tour, welcomed 90 youth between the ages of seven and 12 for the event.
Murray recently finished his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets and hit the Conestoga courts to work on drills and share advice with the kids. Courts Across Canada delivers free Jr. NBA clinics to youth, and in some communities, helps refurbish gymnasium space.
MP Bardish Chagger, MP Marwan Tabbara, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and Conestoga CFO Jacinda Reitsma were in attendance to cheer Murray on during the ceremonial jump ball and watch the on-court drills.
Conestoga’s Recreation Centre, located at the Doon campus, provides a full range of recreation and athletic services and now houses a 35,000 square-foot fitness centre outfitted with state-of-the art equipment; a new triple gymnasium to accommodate basketball, volleyball and badminton; community and social spaces; and health and wellness offices.
The Centre serves the college’s varsity teams, intramural and extramural teams and provides a range of fitness and health and wellness activities for students. The Centre is also used by community groups and was one of the first Canadian providers of Nike Sports Camps in Canada.
In 2017, the Centre received a Design Excellence Award from the Ontario Association of Architects.