NBA Hall of Fame weekend – Includes some guy named Jordan

Sept. 10 – 12.

I personally was more excited by fellow Hoya and Knick legend Patrick Ewing’s induction but I have love for John Stockton, David Robinson, Jerry Sloan, and yes Michael Jordan. (Look, it is hard for die-hard Knick fans to forgot all those opportunities lost to MJ.)  Congrats also to Coach C. Vivian Stringer.

This is one of the best classes the Hall has ever had. The Dream Team, rightly so, continues to get its due in the Hall, along with 2 great coaches.

One of the highlights of the weekend is the dedication of the newest “Tyler’s Court.” You can find the full story behind the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation and its wonderful mission at http://www.hoophall.com/news/2009/8/31/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame-tyler-ugolyn-found.html, with an excerpt below.

(Excerpt)

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Tyler Ugolyn Foundation to dedicate “Tyler’s Court” in Springfield; Second Court Dedication in Western Mass is Tribute to former Columbia University NCAA Student-Athlete lost on 9/11

This court in Springfield represents the fourth “Tyler’s Court,” all made possible by the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation. Court renovations were made in Detroit at the 2009 NCAA Final Four, in San Antonio at the 2008 NCAA Final Four and in Springfield, Massachusetts during the 2008 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend. Both Tyler and his younger brother, Trevor, were born in Springfield, as was their father, Victor. Both parents, Diane and Victor, were raised in the city. In addition, Victor serves as a member of the Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, so the dedication and refurbishment of a second court in Springfield is particularly meaningful to Tyler’s family and the Foundation.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno stated, “We are deeply appreciative of the Ugolyn family’s effort to take the extremely unfortunate tragedy of their son’s passing on September 11th and turn it into such a positive legacy of Tyler’s love for basketball and for fostering positive paths for the youth of our community.”

Named in honor of Tyler Ugolyn, a former NCAA student-athlete in basketball at Columbia University who, at the age of 23, was a victim of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, the Foundation was established by Tyler’s family to support youth basketball, with an emphasis on court refurbishment and providing character building educational programs and skills clinics to children in urban settings. The not-for-profit foundation, formed by the Ugolyn family in 2001, provides for court refurbishments, clinics and educational programs in cities at no cost to participants and organizations, with all funding provided by the Foundation. Each refurbished court will be named “Tyler’s Court’, so noted with a special plaque installed courtside, along with the words “I just love playing the game’, a quote attributed to Tyler while a high school player in his hometown of Ridgefield, CT.