[from RiordanHS.org; see above link for more information]
April 25, 2011 marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of a basketball and San Francisco legend Kevin Restani. Kevin’s unexpected death left a void in the lives of those that knew him, especially his family from Archbishop Riordan High School and the Olympic Club.
Archbishop Riordan High School President, Patrick W. Daly and Olympic Club Foundation Chair, Steve Carnevale came together to develop a partnership to recognize the accomplishments of this extraordinary man.
Kevin was a loving husband and a gifted athlete who enjoyed spending countless hours helping children in need. It was decided in order to recognize Kevin’s life, the gymnasium at Archbishop Riordan would receive a complete overhaul and be named after him. The new facility will be called the Kevin Restani Sports Arena. The Olympic Club Foundation with Archbishop Riordan and its alumni community are excited about making this project a successful partnership.
Phil Galvin, Director of Basketball Operations at the Olympic Club stated “This is the right job for us [the Olympic Club Foundation] to do. Everything Kevin started was in the Riordan gym. If you were to tell him [Kevin] this is what was going to happen, he would say, “Yeah, absolutely!” There is no one more deserving of such an honor for what he did for this school [Archbishop Riordan], the city, and the Olympic Club. He was truly one of a kind.”
Archbishop Riordan High and the Olympic Club Foundation are excited to be embarking upon the initial phase of an athletic renovation campaign at Archbishop Riordan High School. The plan looks to the future of archbishop Riordan while memorializing Kevin, a class of 1970 graduate from Archbishop Riordan High School and an integral member of the Olympic Club basketball Program.
This initial phase of the renovation, the Remembering Restani Campaign, charts a clear and focused course to address the capital needs of the current facility. the goal is to modernize the existing gymnasium. The modernized facility will meet the needs of archbishop Riordan student/athletes and youth athletics.
The Remembering Restani Campaign encompasses the replacement of the gym floor, lights, baskets and lower bowl seating, as well as renovations and upgrades to the main locker room, team rooms, and offices. The modernization of the Restani sports arena is the first step of a three phase athletic facilities campaign. With a state-of-the-art gymnasium and projected new facilities, Archbishop Riordan will provide modern athletic facilities to meet the needs of its diverse student body and the youth of San Francisco.
The renovation of the Restani Sports Arena will introduce a new grand lobby. The lobby’s focus will be the Kevin Restani Memorial Wall.
The current estimated cost of the gymnasium renovation is $3.2 million. Raising funds to begin construction by spring 2012 is the goal of the school and the Olympic Club Foundation.
