Re-opened in February 2023, the complex, which serves as the daily home for the Fighting Illini women’s and men’s basketball programs, underwent a two-year renovation that doubled the facility’s size, while incorporating the nation’s best technologies and advancements in sports performance, sports medicine,
sports science, sports nutrition and basketball training.

“The renovation and expansion of the Ubben Basketball Complex stands as one of the most notable
accomplishments of our recently completed With Illinois campaign,” said Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. “When it was originally built, Ubben set the national standard for basketball facilities and
helped drive a decade of unparalleled programmatic success. With this project, Ubben again becomes the preeminent practice facility in all of college basketball. We are already beginning to see its impact on
the court, as evidenced by last year’s Big Ten men’s championship and our ability to recruit a coach like
Shauna Green, who has led one of women’s basketball’s most impressive turnaround stories.”

“This project would not have been possible without the incredible support of so many of our most trusted and loyal donors,” continued Whitman. “From former student-athletes to long-time season ticketholders to loyal alumni, the widespread generosity we have experienced related to this project has
been both humbling and inspiring. This building will stand as a reminder to all who enter it of not only our program’s commitment to excellence but also the generosity of so many who helped make this
championship vision a reality.”

The $40 million project is being financed completely by DIA’s self-supporting funds, including more than $34 million in private donations pledged to date. There are 91 unique gifts from 77 donors that range from $100 to $5 million. Notably, 15 men’s and women’s basketball alumni have committed to gifts totaling more than $9.6 million toward the project.

In the women’s gymnasium, the floor will be named the Benson Family Court, honoring the family of Jim Benson, a proud Illinois alumnus who gave one of the lead gifts to the Ubben project and who has made
significant past contributions to Fighting Illini Athletics, including the State Farm Center renovation. On the men’s side, the gym floor will bear the name of two of the most iconic figures in the history of Illinois
basketball, Mannie Jackson and Jerry Colangelo. Jackson and Colangelo, both former letterwinners, professional sports owners, international basketball leaders, inaugural members of the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame and inductees into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, have become pioneers in the
world of sport and forged a friendship at the University of Illinois that will now be forever memorialized on the Ubben men’s court.

“Ubben is an absolute game changer for our program,” said head women’s coach Shauna Green. “It gives our student-athletes everything they need to be elite under one roof. From basketball, academics, strength & conditioning, athletic training, nutrition, to our own recovery room with top-of-the-line
equipment they can prepare to be the best version of themselves every day. This facility will serve our players now and will attract top level recruits from around the nation. We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped make Ubben a reality and one of the best basketball facilities in the country.”

The Ubben Complex opened in 1998 as one of the nation’s first stand-alone basketball practice facilities, offering equal space and training opportunities for both the men’s and women’s programs.

“I talk about it all the time; the passion for Fighting Illini basketball is unrivaled,” said head men’s coach Brad Underwood. “There is no better testament to that support than the way our donors answered the
call to make the renovation and expansion of the Ubben Basketball Complex happen. Because of their loyalty to this University and their dedication to our program, we stand here today with the preeminent basketball training center in the country. Our players are striving to be the best, and Ubben provides the
best-in-class facility for us to work together to achieve our goals.”