Over the past several years, naming college basketball courts after legendary coaches has become increasingly popular. The honor has been given to Coach K, Dickie V., Eddie Sutton and many others. As expected, the gesture is often met with jealousy and opposition from other former coaches or influential figures within the programs. Now that Maryland has decided to name their court after Gary Williams, former Terps coach Lefty Driesell is not pleased.
“It’s not fair to my players that they would put Gary Williams’ name on the court,” Driesell said in an email to the school Tuesday according to the Baltimore Sun. “It’s a disservice to players such as Tom McMillen, John Lucas, Len Elmore, Brad Davis, Greg Manning, Adrian Branch and Steve Sheppard.”
With a record of 461-252 after his 22 years as Maryland’s head coach, Williams is the winningest coach in school history. Driesell’s 348 wins in 17 seasons place him second behind Williams. Some have wondered whether or not a significant gift is coming from Williams and if that factored into the decision to name the court after him. Of course, the school insists it was the “enduring legacy” Gary brought the the program that inspired them to honor him.
The bottom line is you can’t please everyone. Driesell says giving the name “Gary Williams Court” is not fair to those who didn’t play for Williams, but we all know what he means: it’s not fair to him.
