Stony Brook Basketball Coach Steve Pikiell and his wife Kate announced on Sept. 6 that they will be donating $50,000 back to the university.
The Athletics Department will receive $25,000 and Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital will receive the other half. An anonymous donor will match the donation to the hospital.
“I just thought that the Children’s Hospital is a great hospital. You know the whole Stony Brook Medicine is just awesome over there, the people over there, the doctors, you know. I have four young kids myself, we’ve used the facilities many times, so I just know what a good job they do over there.”
The funds going towards the Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital will be used for a new clinical tower for the Stony Brook Medicine campus, which will house the Children’s Hospital. “This new hospital will have state-of-the-art facilties for caring for children in a family-friendly way, including all single-bedded rooms, a lot of play space and space for families to be comfortable as well as the latest technologies,” said Margaret McGovern, Physician-in-Chief of Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital.
Pikiell’s donation is the largest given by an active staff member at Stony Brook. This isn’t the first time he has donated either. Pikiell has donated to athletics before, as well as other funds on campus. “Coach Pikiell’s donation on behalf of his family is just the latest example of the exceptional leadership he displays each and every day.” Said Jim Fiore, Director of Atheltics. “Not only is he a very talented coach and mentor, but he is also an incredible ambassador for our university and an integral part of our community.” Fiore hopes Pikiell’s donation will inspire others. “My hope is that the Pikiells’ generosity, along with that of many others who continue to be so supportive of our efforts, will help to foster new gifts from our constituents as we continue the upward trajectory of Stony Brook Athletics.”
Pikiell is heading into his eighth season as head coach for the basketball team and has been busy recruiting for the upcoming season. “It’s going well, we’re running around,” said Pikiell. “I’m excited about our team, I think we’ll be really good,” said Pikiell. He has also turned SBU into a destination for competitive America East basketball.
“I love my job as head coach, and I wanted to give back to the university, so this was a great way to do it,” Pikiell said. “I’m very excited, hopefully in the future I can do more.”
Rebecca Tapio contributed reporting to this story.
