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Illinois Honors Lou Henson, Names Court For Former Basketball Coach

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- The University of Illinois said Monday that it will name the new court at the State Farm Center after longtime Illini coach Lou Henson, honoring the school's winningest basketball coach.

The honor is one that Henson's supporters have long pushed for. And it comes as the 83-year-old Henson deals what he has called pre-leukemia. He was hospitalized earlier this year and is going through chemotherapy treatments.

Henson wore his trademark orange blazer to a news conference Monday, where he said he never imagined that his name would grace the floor of the arena where he won 423 games over 21 seasons. And he said it was a job that he might not have taken were it not for his wife, Mary.

Lou Henson
Lou Henson (file image: Getty Images)

Illinois, after struggling since an NCAA scandal in the 1960s, was "in a shambles" when he interviewed for the job in 1975. And Oklahoma, where Henson is from, had offered him a job.

"Anybody would pick Oklahoma" under the circumstances, Henson said. "I said, `What do you think?' She said, `Illinois.' I said, `What are you basing that on?' She said, `That's my home state."'

Athletic director Mike Thomas, also wearing an orange blazer, said Henson would win an election for mayor of Champaign "in a landslide."

"Lou has made an incredible impact and contribution to Fighting Illini basketball and the university," Thomas said. "One of the most humble individuals you could ever know."

The new court will include Henson's signature and an image of an orange blazer at each end.

Henson came to Illinois in 1975 after coaching at New Mexico State.

Nine of his Illini teams made it to the NCAA Tournament between 1981 and 1990, and his 1989 Flyin' Illini team is still regarded as one of the two best teams in school history and one of the best to never win a national title. The team lost in the NCAA semifinals.

Henson is the 16th winningest coach in NCAA history and this year was named to the National College Basketball Hall of Fame.

The State Farm Center is undergoing an extensive renovation and the first game with the new court will be Dec. 2 against Notre Dame. Illinois' first four home games and one exhibition will be played in Springfield.

(© 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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