Nov. 1, 2002

By John Dodderidge

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski recently announced at the NABC Foundation meeting the development of the Mentor's Circle, which will be featured inside the new NABC National Basketball Center in historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The Mentor's Circle will publicly honor coaches who have impacted the lives of other coaches in significant ways.

Coaches will be able to honor their "mentor" by making a gift in the name of their mentor. The mentor will be honored on individualized plaques, or other state-of-the-art presentations, located in the Mentor's Circle area, with the contributing coach's name listed. Mentors can have as many coaches as possible listed under their name.

"The Mentor's Circle will allow each of us to make a special public tribute to the men who made a tremendous impact on our lives," said Krzyzewski, who serves as President of the NABC Foundation. "The Mentor's Circle will provide a striking visual reminder to all visitors that everyone in life -- including players and coaches -- need mentors to realize their dreams."

There will be two gift categories in the Mentor's Circle:

Tribute Club - $25,000 ($5,000 per year for five years) Donors at this level will have their name inscribed on an individual plaque (or comparable presentation) directly below their mentor's face, name and bio, with a few of their own words inscribed on the donor plaque. Tribute Club donors will also be able to tape an audio statement about their mentor that can be played by pushing a button next to their name.

Contributor Club - $10,000 ($2,000 per year for five years) Donors at this level will have their name included on a smaller plaque (of comparable presentation) separate from the Tribute Club donors. The mentor's face, name and bio will be included.

All gifts are tax deductible and can be paid over a five-year period.

The Mentor's Circle plan was presented to the active coaches on the NABC Foundation Board, which included Krzyzewski, Mike Jarvis of St. John's and Roy Williams of Kansas, along with the NABC Board of Directors. The response was very positive, according to Jim Haney, NABC Executive Director.

"We had a high participation among our coaches," Haney said. "All of our Division I coaches are going to participate. Hopefully, the rest of the coaches can see it and learn how it fits into what they are doing. I think this will be a very popular area in the Center and visitors can learn something they haven't seen before. It's had a good launch so far.

"This is an effort to create an opportunity for coaches to get involved and the more it was discussed the coaches got excited about how it could do some positive things for coaches and the history of the game. This is a whole new level to memorialize a relationship and how to honor someone who had an impact on you. I think it's a wonderful thing for the coach who is being honored by someone they influenced so powerfully. People can come through the Center and see how the dots transfer. It will create some interesting history."

Progress is being made on the NABC National Basketball Center. The city of Kansas City, local and national companies, and individuals are funding the construction, which will include a coach's hall of honor, an interactive fan event and the national offices of the NABC and the NABC Foundation.