Rutgers to name court after Jim Valvano

It’s been a long time coming. Rutgers finally put Jim Valvano’s name on something.

The designation that the court at the College Avenue Gym will be named after Valvano was announced at Friday night’s gala honoring the Scarlet Knights’ 1967 men’s basketball team and benefiting the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Valvano was a senior point guard who helped spark the program’s first-ever postseason appearance that winter.

Known as “The Barn,” the College Avenue Gym is where Valvano fashioned a reputation as “Mr. Defense” on a squad that finished 22-7 and advanced to the NIT semifinals. At that time, the NIT was nearly as prestigious as the NCAA Tournament.

Valvano subsequently broke into coaching at Rutgers. He went on to attain everlasting renown as the head coach of N.C. State’s 1983 national championship squad and co-founder of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has raised more than $150 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide.

Valvano’s “Don’t ever give up” speech at the 1993 ESPYs, which took place just months before he died of cancer at age 47, has inspired untold numbers of people and gained a place in the pantheon of American oratory.

Most of the 1967 team, including All-America guard Bob Lloyd, attended Friday’s banquet at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick. They were feted by both Rutgers and the V Foundation, which teamed up to host an event of such caliber for the first time.

Lloyd, who was Valvano’s roommate and the recipient of many an assist, served as chairman of the V Foundation for 21 years.

The idea to name the court after Valvano was the brainchild of Kay Lloyd, Bob's wife.

It is the third step in a three-step process to honor Valvano at his alma mater. The gala was the second and the first was adding Valvano's image to a mural painted inside the Louis Brown Athletic Center earlier this season.

"That's where Jim and I spent a lot of time. That's where there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears," Bob Lloyd told Gannett New Jersey of The Barn. "For that to be the Jimmy V court is appropriate. It's just great. For the university to do that is fantastic. I'm very proud of my university."

The team will be recognized again Saturday at halftime of Rutgers’ home game against rival Seton Hall, which tips at noon.

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannett.com

Staff writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleavy@gannettnj.com