terrapinsanity.com

USM doesn’t seem to do anything involving athletics that doesn’t also involve controversy these days, and so it is that the Comcast Center’s basketball court will be named for long-time coach Gary Williams.

Why pick Williams, so recently departed that he is still on the payroll, when they could finally have given Lefty Driesell his due? Or honored the role of scholarship among athletes by naming it for basketball star Rhodes scholar Tom McMillen? Cash. At least, that’s what the rumor which was persistent enough for it to be reported in the Sun article. Though officials publicly deny it, the report was that the naming would be tied with a big donation. The surprise would be if it was not tied with cash, and with their budget in the dumpers, fans should be demanding to know why officials missed an opportunity to milk some donor. Still, there are plenty of piece of Comcast left to carve out for naming opportunities so long as they find people with more dollars than sense. Len Bias Mezzanine, anyone?

The article’s take-away point to UM faculty and staff is: even after retirement Gary is paid more by campus than anyone currently involved in scholarship and content delivery on our campus.