Names In The News

IAN NAISMITH, grandson of the late Dr. JAMES NAISMITH, said his family still owns the original copy of the rules of basketball. Comcast SportsNet’s Chuck Garfien said the copy is worth $10-20M, adding, “The Naismiths have come up with a plan to sell the document to a sponsor on the condition that it goes on display at the Smithsonian. Naismith says that all the money from the sale will go into the family’s foundation which helps promote the game of basketball.” Naismith: “I want (the rules) in the Smithsonian because the family’s not realizing money out of this” (“net Impact,” Comcast SportsNet, 5/16).

Roy Williams Making About $2.6M Annually Under New Deal

RAM CHARGER: Univ. of North Carolina (UNC) will pay men’s basketball coach ROY WILLIAMS an average of about $2.6M under a new deal signed through 2014-15, which AD DICK BADDOUR believes “puts Williams among the top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country.” The contract includes $325,000 in base salary (up from $288,140); a $30,000 expense account (up from $25,000); supplemental compensation averaging $1,352,508 from 2008-15; $400,000 a year from Learfield Communications for multimedia responsibilities; and at least $500,000 annually from Nike in a contract separate from the company’s deal with UNC (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/18).

HI, SCHOOL: LPGAer LORENA OCHOA, a native of Mexico, plans to build a secondary school in Guadalajara to help curb the drop-out rate in the area. Her namesake foundation currently sponsors children from preschool age through the sixth grade at a school in the city. Ochoa: “We’re looking forward to starting something in the [U.S.] where we can really help with the name of the foundation and start raising money for those kids back home” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/17).

NAMES: Last night’s edition of CNN’s “Larry King Live” featured the remaining contestants from ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” including APOLO ANTON OHNO and LAILA ALI. When told her father, MUHAMMAD ALI, had great footwork, Ali said, “In the ring. My dad can’t dance, though.” Ali added her father is “happy that I’m on the dance floor and not in the boxing ring” (“Larry King Live,” CNN, 5/17)....The Louisiana Bond Commission approved $1.3M for the proposed Eddie Robinson Museum project, named in honor of late Grambling State Univ. football coach EDDIE ROBINSON (Monroe NEWS STAR, 5/18)....SHEA STADIUM hosted over 15,000 children to sing a personalized song for seven-year-old Mets fan RONALD STERLING, who suffers from a rare immune disorder. The recording session was organized by SONGS OF LOVE, a group that has recorded thousands of songs for seriously ill children (“World News Tonight,” ABC, 5/17).