Milligan names basketball court after Del Harris, Sonny Smith

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (January 13, 2024) – Milligan University honored a pair of legendary alums on Saturday by naming the basketball court inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse after Sonny Smith and Del Harris. Smith-Harris Court was dedicated during a ceremony that took place during a basketball doubleheader featuring the Milligan men's and women's basketball teams on Saturday.

"We are so excited to be able to acknowledge the positive impact Del Harris and Sonny Smith have made both on Milligan and the game of basketball," said Milligan president Dr. Bill Greer. "Both of these men have been tremendous ambassadors for Milligan, and their accomplishments are widely known by those who follow the sport. They have made us proud, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to honor them in a way that will keep their legacies alive for years to come."

The court that now bears Harris and Smith's names sits inside a fieldhouse named after Steve Lacy, who effectively set the bar for athletic excellence at Milligan. Lacy, who was from nearby Sullivan County, was a standout in football and basketball at Milligan during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He went on to coach at his alma mater and became the only coach in the history of the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference to lead teams to championships in four sports: football, basketball, baseball and track.

Smith and Harris were both coached by Duard Walker, another legendary Milligan alum who served as a coach and athletic director for 50 years. Smith, who graduated from Milligan in 1958, averaged 18 points per game as a member of Milligan's basketball team before embarking on a legendary coaching career of his own.

Smith reversed the fortunes of East Tennessee State University's basketball team. The Bucs were 12-14 in Smith's first season before going 18-9 the next year. The turnaround landed Smith a head coaching job at Auburn, where he led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 1984 with future NBA superstar Charles Barkley leading the way.

Smith ultimately led Auburn to five consecutive NCAA Tournament bids, including a trip to the Elite Eight. Following a coaching career that spanned over 30 years, Smith enjoyed a second career as a beloved color commentator on television and radio broadcast of college basketball games and has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Harris, a 1959 Milligan graduate, was named to six all-conference teams during his playing days at Milligan and is best known for an NBA coaching career that spanned over 30 years. Harris was the head coach of the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his time in Los Angeles, he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1995 and coached the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

But Harris also made an indelible impact as a coach on the international stage. He won three straight league championships while coaching professional basketball in Puerto Rico prior to his NBA coaching career.

Later, he became the first foreigner to coach China's national team and led that squad during the 2004 Olympics. Harris also served as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 1998 and the Dominican Republic in 2011. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.