The University of Pennsylvania has announced a gift from alumnus and Penn Basketball Board member John Di Paolo to create an endowment for the assistant basketball coach’s position in UPenn’s Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics.

Current women’s basketball associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Kelly Killion will be the first to serve as John Di Paolo, C’92, G’92, W’92 Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator of Women’s Basketball. She is in her seventh season at Penn. Di Paolo, who lives in Philadelphia, has been a loyal member of the Penn Basketball Board since 2011.

“When the opportunity to mentor the women’s basketball team presented itself over a decade ago, I could not have imagined the degree to which I personally would be impacted by these wonderful student athletes,” said Di Paolo. “The engagement has been mutually beneficial, as it has enriched my life and helped me grow personally and professionally by being more conscious of individual circumstances and more proactive in presenting a response. It is an honor to be associated with Penn’s national-level program filled with such high-caliber individuals and to address the funding challenges faced by women’s athletics by providing future Quakers a lasting financial commitment.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/f11 photo)