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NE Hoops Hall of Fame to be Established at URI 1/12/2002 For Immediate Release Contact: Gregg Burke Phone: 401-874-9080 NEW ENGLAND BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME TO BE ESTABLISHED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLANDS KEANEY GYMNASIUM KINGSTON, R.I. - New England, where the game of basketball was invented in 1891, is about to get its own regional basketball hall of fame. The newly created New England Basketball Hall of Fame, to be housed on the campus of URI, will see its first class of inductees honored in October 2002. Unlike the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., this one will honor only players, coaches and others who were involved in the sport in New England. Dan Doyle, the founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport at URI, conceived the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Doyle stated, "An important objective of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame is to honor a wide variety of individuals and teams whose important contributions have been at the heart of New England basketball success. Our role at the Institute is to get this project off the ground, administer the annual dinner, and assist with the exhibitions in the Hall of Fame in Keaney Gymnasium." Doyle also stated, "We will play no role in the selection process. This task will be handled by an independent committee with no connection to the Institute or the University." There will be a wide range of inductees, including New England players, coaches, administrators, referees and members of the media. Each year, nominations from all six New England states will be presented to a selection committee. Nominees will come from the following categories: · Former high school, prep school, junior college, and Division I, Division II, and Division III players. · Former or present high school, prep school, junior college, and Division I, Division II, and Division III coaches. · Organizations or individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to the development of New England basketball. · Professional players and/or coaches whose professional and/or amateur careers significantly contributed to the development of New England basketball. · Members of the media. The initial induction ceremony and dinner will be held next October at the Keaney Gymnasium. The daylong celebration preceding the dinner will include panel discussions with the inductees along with exhibits depicting their accomplishments. A nationally known basketball figure will serve as master of ceremonies at the annual dinner. Proceeds from the induction dinner will be used to fund the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and expand the Institute for International Sport's sportsmanship programs in New England. The Institute currently sponsors National Sportsmanship Day every March, which now involves more than six million students in all 50 states and approximately 100 countries. Keaney Gymnasium is named for the legendary former coach, Frank Keaney, who is credited with revolutionizing basketball by devising the fast break in the 1930s, and for turning then Rhode Island State into a national basketball power in the 30s and 40s. Rhode Island architect Ken Filarski, who designed the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame on the URI campus, has been commissioned to design the exhibit area of Keaney Gymnasium to house the New England Basketball Hall of Fame exhibits and memorabilia. The new Hall of Fame will be administered by the Institute, with Gregg Burke, former associate athletic director at Providence College serving as coordinator, and William Woodward, an educator and author, serving as the official historian. |
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Phone: 1-800-447-9889(401) 874-2375Fax: (401) 874-2429E-Mail: info@internationalsport.com
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Institute for International Sport
c/o International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame The Feinstein Building, University of Rhode Island 3045 Kingstown Road, P.O. Box 1710 Kingston, Rhode Island 02881-1710 |
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