NIC honoring longtime coach Rolly Williams

COEUR d’ALENE – North Idaho College will honor longtime NIC men’s basketball coach Rolly Williams by naming the court in Christianson Gym in his honor.

A men’s basketball reunion reception will kick off the dedication events at 6 p.m. Friday, at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Club. Expected to attend are NIC basketball alumni from the 1960s to as recently as 2006, including players such as Pat Seale, Bret Kiefer, Tim Atwood, Bruce Blackwood, Brian Hancock, Freddy Butler, Tracey Evans, Chris Harrison, Reno Alston, Casey Irgens, Brad Miles, Paul Hafford and Jackson Wilkey. The men’s basketball reunion reception is open to the public.

The current men’s basketball team will scrimmage against the NIC men’s basketball alumni at 11 a.m. Saturday, in Christianson Gym.

The dedication of Rolly Williams Court will follow in Christianson Gym at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Last spring, the NIC Board of Trustees approved the dedication for Christianson Gymnasium’s floor to be named in honor of Williams.

Williams served as the head men’s basketball coach from 1961 to 1996, accumulating 731 wins and 314 losses and 25 consecutive winning seasons. He currently ranks ninth in career wins among all men’s basketball coaches in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Williams was named Region 18 Coach of the Year three times and led his team to the NJCAA national tournament in 1978 and 1980. During the 1979-1980 season, the Cardinals went 30-7 and earned a 10th place finish at the NJCAA national tournament.

Williams was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 1988 and into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1993.

The public is welcome at the alumni basketball game and the court dedication for free.