Dick Vitale has Dream Court named after him at Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club in Sarasota
SARASOTA ― The voice of college basketball now has his own court of dreams.
In honor of the Lakewood Ranch resident and ESPN college basketball analyst, Nancy Lieberman Charities teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties to unveil on Thursday the Dick Vitale Dream Court, located at the William G. & Marie Selby Foundation Pavilion at the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club in Sarasota.
The Dream Court is a high-school regulation 64-by-94 foot outdoor court and includes two new basketball goals. It features a high-performance PowerGame surface from Sport Court in red and black with the Dream Court logo as its centerpiece.
The court is the 128th sponsored in the last 12 years by the charity of Nancy Lieberman, the two-time Olympian basketball player and two-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. Her charity aims to provide a healthy physical, emotional, and mental environment for young boys and girls to build their self-esteem and confidence.
“It’s a children’s charity for underserved communities,” said Lieberman, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, “and we’re just trying to give them hope, life and a healthy environment. We all want to commune together, and this is my life. This is Dick Vitale’s life. We grew up playing ball with people who didn’t look like us.”
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Lieberman said similar courts have been built around the country for Ice Cube, Billy Crystal, Muhammed Ali, Larry Fitzgerald, and others. Last year, through donations and the raising of funds, Lieberman oversaw the building of 20 such dream courts.
“Why wouldn’t you do a dream court for Dick Vitale?” Lieberman said. “We asked him ‘Where do you want this court?’ He said Sarasota, so here we are. It doesn’t have to be athletes or celebrities. We do it for education. It’s like a pop-up classroom. We want this to be a place where you want to come here, you’re not afraid to come here, and you’re loved and cared for.”
Vitale was honored by Lieberman in September at her annual gala in Dallas. That’s when he knew he would be getting a dream court in his name.
“I thought we were going to get a trophy,” the 84-year-old Vitale said. “But she’s special. She’s helped so many kids over the years. I was just honored to be there. This place, for years, my wife and I have given scholarship dollars here.”
“More than 5.5 million kids are on our courts around the country,” Lieberman said. “Dick is amazing. Look what he has overcome. And I wanted to do something for my friend. Not only for Dick, but Dick’s influence on the next generation. He’s been there for a lot of people. I want to be here for Dick.”
Meanwhile, Vitale said he planned to see his vocal cord doctor next week in Boston. Though the radiation treatments for his cancer ended weeks ago, his voice remains weak.
“(The doctor) is going to see what he can do,” Vitale said. “This is not where I want to be. Nowhere near capable (of broadcasting games). If I just had to live, it would be no problem. But I want to go on TV.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Dick Vitale gets basketball court in Sarasota, courtesy of Nancy Lieberman Charities
