Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum court "is getting a name," and the school is getting $500,000 annually over the next 10 years after the school yesterday announced a naming-rights deal with Virginia-based Carilion Clinic, according to a front-page piece by Mark Berman of the ROANOKE TIMES. The floor "will be called Virginia Tech Carilion Court; the name of the facility will not change." Virginia Tech and Carilion "are partners in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine." The plan "is for 'VTC Virginia Tech Carilion' to be on two spots on the court." Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock said that about half of the money "will be used for endowed scholarships for basketball players who are interested in health care careers." The rest "will go for improvements to Cassell Coliseum, including the basketball locker rooms there." Babcock said that he "is not on a mission to sell naming rights to other facilities." He added, "We will be very selective in things like that." The deal "is the latest step in Babcock’s quest to boost athletic department revenues" (ROANOKE TIMES, 8/6).
