North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams will be receiving the honor shortly. Who else in NCAA basketball will have an eponymous court?
For his 68th birthday, Roy Williams received a court. Alright, that’s not exactly true. His backyard looks exactly the same today as it did the day before. But in Chapel Hill, there’s now a court that will adorn his name for the rest of time, presumably. That court is located in the Smith Center, where the North Carolina Tar Heels play their college basketball games.
Nobody would dare dispute that Williams is worthy of this honor. In his decade and a half with the Tar Heels, he has taken his team to three national titles, eight ACC regular season championships, and over 400 victories. Considering he spent just as much time in charge of Kansas, however, and it’s worth wondering if there are coaches more entrenched in their own programs who deserve the court-naming honor just as much.
Many schools seek any excuse to name something on campus after an important benefactor or significant figure. College basketball coaches fit that bill; they may not contribute to the academic vision of a school, but they bring exposure and donations, which can be just as important.
Here are five coaches who will have a court named in their honor one day.