Alum’s Gift Funds Overhaul of Men’s Basketball Locker Room
Ike Brown says he hopes the space will build cohesion among teammates, boost recruitment and retention
The men’s basketball team relaxes in the lounge area during their first tour of the locker room.
Alum’s Gift Funds Overhaul of Men’s Basketball Locker Room
Ike Brown says he hopes the space will build cohesion among teammates, boost recruitment and retention
Ike Brown wasn’t on the basketball team at BU. He didn’t play hoops at all. But decades later, when he did become a basketball fan, he went all in.
About 10 years ago, Brown (Questrom’76) “adopted” the men’s basketball team, he says, initially earmarking gifts for its players. He and his wife, Candy Brown, funded a scholarship, ideally for a Terrier studying business. Then they funded another. Turns out, they were just getting started. About five years ago, they made a $1 million lead gift to spearhead an overhaul of the men’s basketball locker room, which sorely needed a refresh. “I graduated high school in 1972,” Brown says, “and it looked like a high school locker room from 1972.”
Now complete, the Ike Brown Basketball Locker Room in the Case Center features a lounge with enough sofas for 14 lanky teammates to sprawl, large-screen TVs, a Ping-Pong table, a recovery space, and a dressing area with comfortable seating, phone charging ports, 18 spacious lockers, and private stalls replacing the communal shower.
Terriers point guard and Brown Family Scholarship recipient Ben Roy (Questrom’26) is hard-pressed to name what he likes best. “The whole space—it’s unreal,” he says. “It’s so nice for guys to have a place to knock out some homework and chill out before practice and after practice.”
The old locker room, less than half the size, lacked a study area, leaving Roy scrambling for a place to focus on his business administration homework. “Now,” he says, “you don’t even have to look for a quiet spot on campus. You just go to the locker room.”
Joe Jones, men’s basketball head coach, credits the refreshed space with boosting team morale and connection.
“It gave us a chance to really build some community in a space outside the court,” Jones says. “That’s critical for team chemistry and leadership. These guys study together, they play together, and the older guys mentor the younger ones.”
Jones has forged a friendship with Brown, who is president and vice chairman of the logistics company NFI Industries and resides in Dallas, Tex. They’ve met up in Texas on Jones’ recruiting trips and appreciate each other’s dedication to nurturing relationships.
“I like the fact that Coach Jones takes a real genuine interest in his players and makes sure that they graduate,” Brown says. “Basketball is important, but not everybody is going to go to the NBA. He makes sure they have a good basis to move forward once they leave the University and their playing days are over.”
Inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam (“repairing the world”), the Browns generously support many causes, but Ike Brown says BU has a special place in his heart. A consistent donor to the team’s annual fund, he has also created an endowment. “I want to give away most of my wealth before I leave this planet,” he says. “Not that I don’t have great kids, but my wife and I would both like to see where the money goes and what impact it’s had on people.”
Drew Marrochello, director of BU Athletics, credits Brown with not only being an outstanding supporter of BU Athletics, but also inspiring other donors. “Ike’s generosity is contagious,” Marrochello says. “His gifts continue to set the standard for giving. I really can’t overstate his impact on the team and on BU Athletics overall.”
Brown’s generosity also inspires Roy. “The support for the program is great and shows how much people care for you,” he says. “I’ve learned that I want to leave places better than I found them. That’s what these alumni do. I’d like to be someone like that too.”
Brown hopes the amenity-filled locker room will build cohesion among teammates and boost recruitment and retention: “Hopefully, the locker room’s going to be piece of the puzzle to help the team gain more talent and fill up the stands and continue to make basketball maybe not as big as hockey, but a sport that people really want to come and see.”