What we know about LSU potentially changing Dale Brown Court name, adding Sue Gunter

BATON ROUGE — The LSU Board of Supervisors is set to hold a vote Friday to change the name of the Dale Brown Court to include former LSU women's basketball coach Sue Gunter, according to the board's meeting agenda.

The board voted to name the Pete Maravich Assembly Center court after Dale Brown, the winningest coach in LSU men's basketball history, by a vote of 12-3 in September 2021. Brown was then honored with the distinction at the LSU game vs. Kentucky in January 2022.

Brown reached the Final Four with LSU in 1981 and 1986, winning 448 games in 25 years with the Tigers. Gunter won 442 games in 22 years at LSU and led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament 14 times. Brown is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, while Gunter is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

LSU also has a statue of Gunter inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Members of the board who The Advertiser asked for comment did not respond. An LSU spokesperson has also told The Advertiser that the university and the athletic department would not provide comment before Friday's meeting.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, Nobel Prize-nominated author Trent Angers and FOX Sports broadcaster Tim Brando, who have covered the situation extensively, disclosed to The Advertiser their close friendships with Brown during their interviews for this story.

Here's what we know about LSU potentially changing the name of the court.

The court naming process at LSU

At LSU, in order for an athletic facility to be named after a coach, a three-step process is followed, according to the LSU Hall of Fame Selection Committee constitution and bylaws.

1. A recommendation is sent to the athletic director before the nominee is recommended to the Hall of Fame Committee.

2. The Hall of Fame Committee votes to unanimously support the nominee.

3. The LSU Athletics Council and the LSU board then approve the nominee.

However, Angers says Brown's nomination to the LSU board did not go through that process. Instead, Angers – who was instrumental in getting Brown's name on the court in 2021 – said that he bypassed the Hall of Fame committee to get Brown's name voted on by the LSU Board of Supervisors.

"I went over their heads," Angers said. "I went to (LSU board member) Glenn Armentor and I said, 'Look, the board of supervisors is the ultimate authority at LSU. And these people underneath y'all, they are essentially sabotaging a recommendation that should be made because Dale Brown is actually a national hero.' "

LSU President William V. Tate, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards are involved

LSU President William V. Tate and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards have been involved with changing the name of the court, according to Angers, Marx and Brando.

"There's a lot to love about Louisiana," Brando said. "But we have been forever our own worst enemy when it comes to politics, and that's all this is."

Tate's office did not respond to a request for comment. However, a spokesman for Edwards did provide a statement to The Advertiser.

"At some point last year, Gov. Edwards was contacted by some members of the LSU Board and asked his opinion about whether Sue Gunter’s name should be added to the basketball court," the statement reads. "After reviewing the achievements of Coach Dale Brown and Coach Gunter over the years, the governor agreed that her name certainly warrants inclusion in the name of the court. The governor believes the tremendous accomplishments by both coaches deserve to be acknowledged, and he appreciates the contributions they have made to the men’s and women’s basketball programs at LSU and to the state as a whole."

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LSU Board of Supervisors voted against the name Gunter-Brown Court in 2021

Along with voting 12-3 in favor of naming the court after Brown, the LSU Board of Supervisors also voted 12-3 against naming the court Gunter-Brown court during the same meeting.

The three representatives who voted for naming the court Gunter-Brown Court include Mary Leach Werner, former student body board representative Monica Aguilera and Robert Dampf.

However, Dampf also voted in favor of naming the court solely after Brown. Board representative Jay Blossman Jr. joined Aguilera and Werner in voting against only naming the court after Brown.

Among the dissenters, Werner was the most vocal in her opposition to naming the court just after Brown.

"It's also been said today that (Brown) was the daddy, he was the father in a biblical reference. Well, I'd like to talk about Sue Gunter as the mother," Werner said at the 2021 meeting. "She was a trailblazer here at LSU."

Louisiana State Legislature voted unanimously to name court after Brown in 2021

In April 2021, the Louisiana state legislature voted on a Senate resolution requesting the LSU board to name the court solely after Brown. The resolution, originally authored by Sen. Stewart Cathey Jr., passed unanimously in the Louisiana House and Senate.

"So the question again is, why would you vote against your own vote that you already passed and the unanimous vote of the entire Louisiana State Legislature?" Marx said.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU may change Dale Brown Court name, add Sue Gunter. What we know