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WATCH: The process of sculpting Dr. James Naismith for Kansas’ DeBruce Center

naismith

With the University of Kansas working to complete the DeBruce Center, a project that will (among many things) house Dr. James Naismith’s original “Rules of Basket Ball,” a statue of the founder of the sport will also be on display in front of the building. Elden Tefft was entrusted with the task of completing this aspect of the project, as he was both a sculptor and professor at KU.

Sadly Tefft passed away in mid-February before he could complete the project he had designs on beginning well before anyone considered building the DeBruce Center. According to Nick Krug of the Lawrence Journal-World making a statue of Dr. Naismith is something Tefft has wanted to do since the early 2000’s, and with his passing Tefft’s son Kim Tefft has been hard at work to complete the project he and his father began long ago.

“That building is being designed as a destination point, so there will be a lot of people that will come to see that, not just at basketball game time,” Tefft said. “My father wanted a piece that would carry itself in an outdoor environment. At the same time he wanted something intimate enough that people could interact with it, sit beside it and get their pictures taken with it. I think it will have a strong draw that way.”


Below is the video that accompanied Krug’s story on the project, and the hope is that the DeBruce Center will be completed in time for the start of the 2015-16 season.