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Basketball fans can expect to see a familiar name encrypted on the court of Freedom Hall come Feb. 7.
Denny Crum, the former University of Louisville menís basketball coach, will be honored at a ceremony before the Feb. 7 game between the Cardinals and Georgetown University.
The ceremony will be highlighted by the naming of the court to be “Denny Crum Court,” effective immediately.
“If it wasnít for Denny Crum, Louisville wouldnít be what it is today,” said Nathan Daniel, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice.
“It’s a fitting tribute to honor him with this unique distinction for his success and years of hard work in guiding our men’s basketball program consistently on a national level,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich.
Current U of L coach Rick Pitino said, “We are very excited in the basketball program to have Coach Crumís name on the court.”
Pitino was hired after Crumís tenure ended in 2001.
“Coach Crum is Louisville basketball. He’s built an unbelievable tradition. I am very honored to carry on his tradition,” said Pitino.
“The time is now for Coach Crum,” said former U of L player Darrell Griffith.
Named an NCAA All-American in 1980, Griffith led the Cards to their first national championship that same year. After his career at U of L, he played 11 seasons in the NBA for the Utah Jazz.
Griffith, or as many refer to him as “Dr. Dunkenstein.” He said, “There’s no other coach’s name that should be on that court, but Coach Crum.”
Although plans for the new downtown arena are underway, many believe the ceremony needs to take place at Freedom Hall.
“It needs to be at Freedom Hall, because thatís where it all started,” said Pitino. “[Denny Crum Court] symbolizes excellence; symbolizes someone who built this great tradition here.”
Officials confirmed that “Denny Crum Court” will carry over to the new downtown arena.
Some fans think more should be done, including Ed Major, who works at the Cardinal’s Nest. “I think it’s a good idea, but I think it should be called Denny Crum Arena instead of Freedom Hall.”
“I think we had an outstanding 30 years,” said Crum. “My love for this university grew as time went on and I’m deeply honored that I’m receiving this award.”
Crum coached the Cardinals from 1970 until the end of the 2000-2001 season, accumulating a 675-295 record, including two national championships and six Final Fours.
“You know the head coach gets all the credit, but you have to understand that this kind of thing would never happen on its own,” said Crum. “I had great support from this university. I had great assistant coaches, great players and it takes all of that working together to get anything accomplished.”
“Even the fans deserve a part of this one because without their support, none of this would have ever happened,” said Crum.
Crum told of how he came to U of L and how he chose not to leave for other opportunities, such as the head coaching job at his alma mater, the University of California at Los Angeles.
“When I took this job, my intention was to prove that I could be a successful head coach,” said Crum. “And then when Coach [John] Wooden retired, I’d go back and take his job and carry on with my alma mater. But I couldn’t make myself leave.”
Crum asked himself, “Why would you want to leave a place that you really enjoy, where you have a legitimate chance to be successful, and so many people that care about what youíre doing?”
“I can honestly tell you, this is a lot better place to live, right here,” Crum said.
At the age of 69, Crum currently works as a Special Assistant to U of L’s President, Dr. James R. Ramsey. He also co-hosts a radio talk show with former University of Kentucky head coach, Joe B. Hall.
