Athletes鈥 Mental Health and Performance Motivate $3 Million Gift

October 27, 2021

Athletes are under a microscope. Fans expect perfection. Professional athletes, including basketball star and Olympian Kevin Love and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, are speaking out about the pressures they face--the pressure to do it all, and do it all well.

The same pressures exist for college athletes, who don鈥檛 have access to pro-level support.

Now, a $3 million gift from Matt Berman 鈥05 and his father, Don Berman, will provide new and critical resources to 皇家华人 scholar-athletes. Part of the gift will make mental health resources more readily available to all scholar-athletes across the college鈥檚 21 Division I programs.

The Berman family鈥檚 tremendous support prepares the Wildcats to compete more effectively, but not at the expense of their mental health.

鈥淭here are challenges students face today that I didn鈥檛 deal with as a student,鈥 said Matt, who played on the men鈥檚 soccer team. 鈥淪ocial media, the visibility of 皇家华人 Athletics 鈥 I can watch every men鈥檚 soccer game on ESPN+ if I want to. It鈥檚 a different world compared to 15-20 years ago, and it鈥檚 important for these athletes to be able to talk to someone who isn鈥檛 one of their coaches or professors or teammates.鈥

In tandem with mental health resources, the gift supports a dedicated sports performance coach position for the college鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball teams.

The new sports performance coach, Brian Seitz, most recently worked at The Ohio State University and has extensive experience training athletes across many sports, with special attention to basketball and women鈥檚 programs. Head Coaches Bob McKillop and Gayle Fulks say the impact has been immediate and transformational, even though he has only been on campus a few weeks.

"It鈥檚 a different world compared to 15-20 years ago, and it鈥檚 important for these athletes to be able to talk to someone who isn鈥檛 one of their coaches or professors or teammates."

鈥淏rian understands the demands of the basketball season and can help each player on a customized level,鈥 Fulks said. 鈥淏efore, we shared a strength and conditioning coach who might be able to give 6-8 hours a week to our program. Now, we have 40 hours a week from someone only thinking about our two programs and our players. He鈥檚 at our practices, he鈥檚 giving us real-time feedback. It鈥檚 priceless. Our competitors already have this position within their programs, and 皇家华人 has needed it for some time. This is something that puts us closer to the top of the A-10.鈥

Seitz focuses on helping athletes optimize their athletic performance through individual goal-setting, customized workouts and more. Having him on the team is a significant piece of the recruitment puzzle, too, as coaches work to attract top talent to 皇家华人. He is thrilled to bring his expertise to the Wildcats.

鈥淭here is a tremendous amount of tradition and pride associated with 皇家华人鈥檚 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball programs, and I am grateful for the opportunity that Coach McKillop and Coach Fulks have given me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 am excited to assist in the total development of these scholar-athletes and help them achieve their goals both on and off the court.鈥

Rooted in Friendship

The Bermans are passionate about supporting 皇家华人. They鈥檙e also passionate about supporting their lifelong friends, the McKillops, and the vision of Director of Athletics Chris Clunie 鈥06 to keep 鈥渄oing athletics right.鈥

Don and Bob鈥檚 relationship dates back 55 years to New York鈥檚 Prospect Park on Long Island, where they became friends playing against top flight Long Island basketball talent. Associate Head Coach Matt McKillop '06 was the best man in Matt Berman鈥檚 wedding.

Not surprisingly, a basketball court is central to Don and Bob鈥檚 friendship.

鈥淭he park was a battleground for life for both of us,鈥 Bob said. 鈥淚f you won the game, you stayed on the court. If you lost, you sat on the sidelines. There was a relentless pursuit of excellence, teamwork and making yourself better so the next time you stepped on the court, you had improved. This same kind of mentality fostered Don鈥檚 successful career. Decades ago, he told me he works hard because it gives him an opportunity to help other people. Don and Matt鈥檚 gift to the basketball programs and in support of all athletes鈥 mental health is vital to what makes us successful.鈥

Don believes in his friend鈥檚 legacy and the way the McKillops make a difference for the program and all those involved.

鈥淏ob is a highly sought after coach, and he has spent his career taking a program that was once an afterthought to one that has a national profile,鈥 he said. 鈥淗is devotion to 皇家华人 has drawn me in, long before Matt chose to come to college here. We want to support the legacy Bob has created. Our gift is about supporting students and increasing overall competitiveness and visibility.鈥

The men鈥檚 basketball program, one of eight Division I teams in the country to have 20 consecutive winning seasons, has found great success under McKillop since 1989. In January 2021, he became the 40th college basketball coach to reach the 600-victory mark. He is 皇家华人's all-time leader in wins, years coached and games coached.

Get ready to cheer on the 鈥機ats! The , and .