The atmosphere inside the brand new Donovan Mitchell Family Athletic Center (The DON) was electric as alumnus Donovan Mitchell Jr from the class of 2012 inaugurated the facility in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 27.
The state-of-the-art gymnasium was packed with friends, family, and fellow NBA teammates from the Cleveland Cavaliers who cheered on Mr. Mitchell and his family.
Jordan Mitchell, Adam Rohdie, Donovan Mitchell, Nicole Mitchell, Tim Helstein. Photo: Jon Lopez
The Donovan Mitchell Family Athletic Center. Photo: Jon Lopez
Donovan Mitchell and Brianna McDermott. Photo: Jon Lopez
Donovan Mitchell and the GCDS boys basketball team. Photo: Jon Lopez
Donovan Mitchell and the GCDS girls varsity basketball team. Photo: Jon Lopez
The Donovan Mitchell Family Athletic Center houses a full-sized NCAA basketball court that can be divided in half to create two high school-sized courts. The DON, which stands for Determination Over Negativity, will be fully open to the school community in mid November.
“I am forever grateful to everyone, especially my teachers, coaches, and family who helped me get to where I am,” said Mr. Mitchell who was visibly emotional as he mentioned many people by name. “From day one, before basketball was the plan, everyone in this community was always checking up on me. They told me what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear, and helped me to continually improve. They did it for no reason other than they cared about me.”
To kick off the ceremony, Head of School Adam Rohdie and Director of Athletics Tim Helstein unveiled Mitchell’s retired GCDS #45 jersey, which will hang permanently in The DON.
“Donovan leaves his mark on GCDS not because he was a terrific athlete, though of course he was in multiple sports,” said Mr. Rohdie. “He leaves his mark because he is a terrific human being.”
Mr. Rohdie told the audience that in addition to the building of The DON, Mr. Mitchell and his family’s philanthropy supports increased access to education through GCDS student scholarships and professional development through the Faculty Support Fund.
The DON will host not just sports, but all-school events and assemblies. “The DON will become the Grand Central Station of GCDS,” said Mr. Rohdie. “This is a transformational gift, not only for our athletics program but for the entire school and I can’t thank the Mitchell family enough for their generosity.”
Mr. Mitchell’s mother, Nicole, was a Pre-K teacher at the school for 13 years and currently sits on the school’s board of trustees, and his sister, Jordan, Class of 2017, is an alumna.
“The GCDS community was a role model for us. Many people here do good just because it’s the right thing to do,” said Nicole Mitchell, thanking the crowd for their support.
Mr. Helstein took a moment to remember the old gym that The DON now replaces. “It’s here that Nicole brought her Pre-K class for foundational athletics skills and where Jordan was a star of the dance team. It was here where I first saw Middle School student Donovan Mitchell rise up and flush the basketball with one hand.”
Brianna McDermott, Class of 2025, captain of the girls basketball team, and a Mitchell Family Scholar, also spoke at the event. Brianna is the first person to have her name on the banner of 1,000 point scorers that hangs prominently in the gym. She reached that milestone last year and is thrilled that she will play her final basketball season at GCDS in The DON.
“Thank you, Donovan and the Mitchell Family for giving this community another opportunity to prove that the people really do make the place,” she said.
As the celebration wrapped up, Mr. Mitchell took a ceremonial first shot on the court. The audience roared as the ball swished through the hoop.