Mitchell Family Athletic Center
In October 2024, Donovan Mitchell and his family celebrated the ribbon cutting of the “DON”—Determination Over Negativity Mitchell Family Athletic Center. This new athletic center at Greenwich Country Day School, where Donovan graduated in 2012, houses a full-sized NCAA basketball court, which can be divided to create two high school-sized courts.
Welcoming the hundreds of students, teachers, friends, and family gathered in the spacious new gym, GCDS Head of School Adam Rohdie said, “Donovan made his mark on this school because of the kind of young man he was then and is today. … So for the first time in our school’s history we’re going to retire a jersey number. From this day forward, the number 45 basketball jersey uniform number belongs to one man.”
Reflecting on his experience at GCDS, Donovan shared the importance of education to his family—and especially to his mother, Nicole Mitchell, who taught at GCDS for 13 years. “I am forever grateful to everyone, especially my teachers, coaches, and family who helped me get to where I am,” said Donovan. “From day one, before basketball was the plan, everyone in this community was always checking up on me. They … helped me to continually improve. They did it for no reason other than they cared about me.”
In addition to transforming the community and sports experience for his alma mater, the “DON” is also the new home of Donovan’s annual youth summer basketball camp for the tri-state area. Seeing Donovan’s signature on the court floor and his jersey number in the rafters will be a source of daily inspiration for generations to come as students pursue their dreams on and off the court.