Lefty Driesell is excited to once again be on the ballot as a candidate for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The former Georgia State coach is also flummoxed as to why he has yet to be enshrined at the museum in Springfield, Mass.
“I have no idea (why),” he said. “You tell me.”
Driesell’s resume is deep and impressive:
- 786 wins, comparable to several inductees;
- The first coach to win at least 100 games at four different Division I schools;
- He retired in 2003 as the fourth-winningest Division I coach;
Despite his credentials, Driesell has only advanced to the finalist stage two times (2002 and ’03).
This year’s pool is deep and the process remains difficult.
After being nominated, a candidate must be approved by the appropriate screening committee. In Driesell’s case, it’s the North American committee. He must receive seven of nine votes to be moved along to the Honors committee, which can review no more than 10 candidates annually. Eighteen of the 24 committee members must vote yes to approve Hall of Fame status. The names of the committee members, as well as their votes, are confidential.
Driesell will be up against several notables, including Gene Keady, Rick Pitino, Eddie Sutton, Jerry Tarkanian and Gary Williams. And that’s just the college coaches on the 31-person list of nominees. Atlanta’s Travis Grant, one of the greatest scorers in college basketball history, is also a candidate.
The North American committee is scheduled to meet Feb. 7. The finalists are scheduled to be announced during the NBA All-Star Weekend, which begins Feb. 15. The 2013 Class is scheduled to be presented during the Final Four, which begins April 6 at the Georgia Dome.
It’s been tough for coaches to advance past the Honors committee.
Roy Williams was the last college basketball coach inducted, and that happened in 2007.
Driesell has been on the ballot every year since 2000. He will remain on the ballot through 2015.
Driesell said he’s not going to politic for the Hall. His case has been championed by several columnists and former coaches.
Because of the secrecy of the process, it’s impossible to know the criteria. Some of the columnists have postulated Driesell hasn’t been enshrined because, despite all of his success, he never coached a team to the Final Four. The tragedy of Len Bias, who played for Driesell at Maryland and then died of a cocaine overdose after being drafted by Celtics, has also been theorized.
Driesell has been honored numerous times, including at Georgia State, whose court bears his name.
Now 81 and retired, he desperately would like one more honor. He wants to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It’d be the greatest thing that happened to me in my basketball career … ,” Driesell said.
