SPRINGFIELD — A local legend will forever be ingrained in one of Springfield’s great basketball schools.
During its March 13 regular meeting, the School Committee voted unanimously to name Central High School’s basketball court after former NBA player and Springfield native Travis Best.
“The young man is a legend within his own rights, and it would be an honor to for one of our facilities to bear his name,” said Superintendent Sonia Dinnall. “We look forward to supporting this.”
Best is considered one of the greatest and most successful athletes to come from Western Mass. The local star point guard played three varsity seasons at Central High School, where he won the John Lahovich Award (best player in Western Mass.) three times.
He scored 81 points in one game during his senior year, was named a McDonald’s All-American and led the Golden Eagles to a 69-4 combined record, three Western Mass. Division I titles, two trips to the state final and one state championship in 1991.
Highly recruited, Best wound up accepting an offer to go to Atlanta and attend Georgia Institute of Technology. Best’s four years at Georgia Tech under coach Bobby Cremins were very productive, as he ended his collegiate career with career averages of 16.6 points per game (2,057 points in total), 5.6 assists per game, 3.1 steals per game and 1.8 steals per game. Three times, he was named to the first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference squad.
Best was selected 23rd overall in 1995 by the Indiana Pacers, where he played six-and-a-half seasons. During his time there, Best finished fifth in sixth-man-of-the-year voting during the 2000-01 season, averaging 11.9 points per game, six assists, while shooting 45% percent from the field.
He spent half a season with the Chicago Bulls before joining the Miami Heat for the 2002-03 season and then finishing his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets.
Best amassed 5,818 career points, including playoffs; and shot a career 45% from two-point range across 10 NBA seasons. After finishing with the Nets, Best would play overseas for a short period of time.
During the School Committee meeting, Mayor Domenic Sarno said Best is one of the “all-time greats” who still gives back to his family and the city of Springfield.
