Will controversy arise from the next basketball floor you install? There's certainly a chance if that floor is installed at a major college, according to The New York Times.
The trend of naming playing surfaces to honor distinguished coaches and players has been going on for decades, but many over the past few years have been controversial. Either naming a sport floor after one coach undercuts the legacy of another, or the honor comes with a price tag, the Times reported.
At Maryland, former coach Lefty Driesell took umbrage to the school's decision to name its court after Gary Williams, another former coach. Both coaches had remarkable careers at Maryland-Williams netted the school an NCAA championship in 2006-but Driesell said naming the court after Williams was "not fair to my players," the Times reported. In the end, it was revealed that some of Williams' fans made substantial donations to the school; however, Maryland officials denied that financial contributions played a part in naming the court.
At Detroit, officials solicited alumni donations to dedicate the court at Calihan Hall to sportscaster Dick Vitale, who coached the Titans for four years and took the team to the Round of 16 in 1977. But that decision brought criticism from the daughters of Bob Calihan, the school's first basketball all-American and its coach from 1948 through 1969. "The building was named Calihan Hall and the court is part of Calihan Hall," Colleen Calihan told The Detroit News in December.
For the full story, see The New York Times' coverage.
