Nov. 19, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former UK men’s basketball head coach Joe B. Hall and contributor and UK graduate Jim Host were two of 10 members in the Class of 2012 to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

As a Kentucky assistant coach in 1972, Hall had the unenviable task of succeeding Adolph Rupp. Unfazed by the task, Hall guided the Wildcats for 13 seasons, winning 75 percent of 397 games. Within three years, he reached the NCAA championship game and, in 1978, he earned National Coach of the Year honors while coaching Kentucky to its fifth national title with a 30-2 record. His Wildcat teams won eight SEC championships and earned a Final Four berth for the third time in 1984. He was named SEC Coach of the Year four times.

The founder and principal of Host Communications, Host realized the potential growth of men’s basketball and partnered the NCAA with major corporations like Gillette, Valvoline and Pizza Hut. Host, who also had a background in broadcasting, went on to create a model for multimedia rights, bundling everything from coaches’ radio and TV shows, promotional appearances, endorsements and publishing into a single package for some of the nation’s top programs. He has been recognized as one of college athletics’ most influential people.

Along with Hall and Host, the Class of 2012 included former coach Dave Robbins of Virginia Union; players Patrick Ewing of Georgetown, Clyde Lovellette of Kansas, Phil Ford of North Carolina, Kenny Sailors of Wyoming, Earl Monroe of Winston-Salem State and Willis Reed of Grambling; and contributor Joe Dean.

The Hall of Fame is located in the College Basketball Experience (CBE) in Kansas City, Mo., a world-class entertainment facility that provides a multi-faceted interactive experience for fans of the game.

The 2012 induction ceremonies for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame may be seen on Sunday, December 9, at 10 p.m. (EST) on ESPNU.