Former UH basketball player commits $2 million donation to Houston Rise
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Former University of Houston Basketball player, David Marrs, committed $2 million to Houston Rise, a fundraising initiative for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12.
The video featured above is from a previous report on an anonymous pledge of $10 million to go towards UH's football development center.
UH says the donation will fund major upgrades to assist the current Head Coach Kelvin Sampson to make major modernizations to the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility as the team is set to join a larger conference.
"We have the right coach, incredible momentum and are building a championship foundation to carry us into the Big 12 Conference," Marrs said. "I am blessed and honored to be able to support this Rise campaign, Coach Sampson and Cougar Basketball in this meaningful way."
The school says Marrs' support will help to fund upgrades including technology-based improvements, enhancements to the facility's sports-performance capacities, and upgrades to the locker rooms.
"We are so grateful for his leadership, vision and commitment to Cougar Basketball and the lifelong success of our student-athletes," Sampson said.
Marrs played for UH's basketball team from 1972 to 1976 under Coach Guy V. Lewis. He says his passion for Cougar basketball has never been higher than it is right now.
"The Marrs family's ability to give back, with David being a University of Houston graduate and former letterwinner, and the significance of the gift is substantial," Houston Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman said. "It helps move us along and keep basketball relevant.
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