SALINA, Kan. (AP) Salina will name the basketball court at its Bicentennial Center after Kurt Budke, a native of the city who died in a plane crash while coaching Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball team.
Salina city commissioners voted unanimously Monday to name the court after Budke. He was one of four people killed in a plane crash during a recruiting trip in Arkansas Nov. 17.
The Salina Journal reports that two friends who suggested honoring Budke hope to unveil the name on the court at the NJCAA Women’s National Championship in March. The friends plan to pay all costs associated with the honor.
Scoring and rebounding records Budke set at Sacred Heart High School in Salina in the late 1970s still stand.
