A group of people, led by Lynn Darbyshire, Justin Holweger and Don “Woody” Withrow, with approval of numerous community members, made the proposal to name the floor after the former high school, college and professional player during Tuesday’s Middletown School Board meeting.
Because the naming doesn’t involve a district building, Marsha Andrew, school board president, said the proposal didn’t require a vote from the board, though no one objected.
The group hopes to have the floor painted with Lucas’ name sometime this season, possibly as soon as the Feb. 15 against Hamilton High, Withrow said. Even if the gym is torn down, where ever the Middies play their home games will be named after Lucas, the group said.
Darbyshire said the group was “astounded and amazed” by the community support.
Several board members expressed concern about the cost of the naming coming out of the district’s general fund, but the group assured them they would pay for the paint and the installation, estimated at less than $2,000, Darbyshire said.
Before meeting with the board, the group discussed the idea with the Miller family since the gym is named in honor of Wade E. Miller, a longtime school superintendent. The group also talked to Paul Walker Jr., whose father was the legendary Middie coach.
Walker Jr., who attended the school board meeting, said he was “thrilled” by the idea, a sentiment, he said, he’s sure his father would express. He said Lucas was the “greatest player” his father ever coached or saw.
Lucas was unavailable for comment, but Withrow talked to him Tuesday night and said he was “tickled to death.”
Lucas led the Middies to state titles in 1956 and 1957, then played at OSU where the Buckeyes won an NCAA title in 1960. He was a key member and the youngest player on the 1960 U.S. men’s basketball team that won the gold medal in the Rome Olympics and he finished his fourth championship — the first to reach the feat — when the Knicks won the NBA championship in 1974.
“He’s a special person,” said Darbyshire, who noted Lucas attended Ohio State on an academic scholarship and he should serve as a role model for other student athletes.
Last year, the scorer table at Wade E. Miller was named after Jerry Nardiello, who covered the Middies for more than 50 years for The Journal.
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