King Kelly to purchase Wayland Gym

**jammin' jamey** · 03-16-2007, 07:28 PM

"King" Kelly Coleman -- often described as "Kentucky's greatest basketball legend" -- is leading an effort to buy the old Wayland High School gym in Floyd County...

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.../703110471

**jammin' jamey** · 03-16-2007, 07:30 PM

This thread may be "off topic" or "general discussion" but I placed it here since it doesn't pertain to Boys Basketball, albeit back in the day.

**-STAT-** · 03-16-2007, 07:36 PM

This is awesome! I would love to see King Kelly purchase the old gym. I have been in it several times to play ball.

**Old School** · 03-16-2007, 07:50 PM

Is the gym currently being used for anything? What are his plans for the gym?

**-STAT-** · 03-16-2007, 08:18 PM

Old School Wrote:Is the gym currently being used for anything? What are his plans for the gym?

I would say that people rent out the gym to play ball in it. I would also think that Kelly would like to do some renovation to the gym as well.

**BlackcatAlum** · 03-16-2007, 09:04 PM

Thats great news. I seen the outside of the gym about a year ago and it didn't look good at all.

**Playboy5** · 03-16-2007, 09:05 PM

Great Story!

JBIRD · 03-16-2007, 09:10 PM

The gym is currently rented out for for a couple dollars an hour per play. It also has a new liquor store in the parking lot owned by the current owner.

~~Old school Dawg~~ · 03-16-2007, 11:22 PM

About time King Kelly did something other than being such a jerk towards everyone who has tried to intrerview him about his glory days.

BeaverCreek Connection · 03-16-2007, 11:47 PM

Old school Dawg Wrote:About time King Kelly did something other than being such a jerk towards everyone who has tried to intrerview him about his glory days.

Hey Dawg, lighten up on the King. I have interviewed him and he was very cordial and nice to me. For years he did not want to draw attention to himself. He is kinda like the rest of us, life has sometimes dealt him ups and downs. I commend him for what he is wanting to do, no better place to have the Mountain Roundball Hall of Fame than Wayland, KY where the greatest KY prep player lived and played.

~~Old school Dawg~~ · 03-17-2007, 01:04 AM

BeaverCreek Connection Wrote:Hey Dawg, lighten up on the King. I have interviewed him and he was very cordial and nice to me. For years he did not want to draw attention to himself. He is kinda like the rest of us, life has sometimes dealt him ups and downs. I commend him for what he is wanting to do, no better place to have the Mountain Roundball Hall of Fame than Wayland, KY where the greatest KY prep player lived and played.

Okie dokey,,,He was the greatest Wasnt he!!:rockon:

**The Guru** · 03-17-2007, 01:26 AM

Heck!!!! It should be given to him!!!

Nascar99 · 03-17-2007, 01:33 AM

Even tho i have only heard about the King, it was a little before my time, I think this would be great for Eastern KY. I think this will inspire our kids even more to be the best you can be and go after your dreams. Good luck and I will be sure to bring my kids for a visit.

**-STAT-** · 03-17-2007, 03:42 PM

The Guru Wrote:Heck!!!! It should be given to him!!!

Should be named in his honor!

gotcha2 · 03-17-2007, 04:09 PM

-STATS- Wrote:Should be named in his honor!

The section of Route 7 that runs through Wayland has been named in his honor. There is a sign posted just before you reach the gym/school on Route 7.

I would like to know more about what the Historical Society plans on doing with the gym if the purchase goes through. Right now the gym is packed on most week nights and on weekends with pickup games and adult league games. I think Garrett Christian uses it for practice (Not sure about games). Will they continue to rent the gym out in the same manner. Also, the current owner has recently opened a new business on the same property- I don't see him shutting it down this soon.

**-STAT-** · 03-17-2007, 04:44 PM

gotcha2 Wrote:The section of Route 7 that runs through Wayland has been named in his honor. There is a sign posted just before you reach the gym/school on Route 7.

I would like to know more about what the Historical Society plans on doing with the gym if the purchase goes through. Right now the gym is packed on most week nights and on weekends with pickup games and adult league games. I think Garrett Christian uses it for practice (Not sure about games). Will they continue to rent the gym out in the same manner. Also, the current owner has recently opened a new business on the same property- I don't see him shutting it down this soon.

Yepp, Ive been through there plenty of times, but I would love to see them name it in his honor though, that would be awesome and very well deserving.

**Wyatt Earp** · 03-17-2007, 06:11 PM

I don't think naming the gym after The King would do much for him Stats. The Wayland Gym is already synonymous with Kelly Coleman. I don't think he would want it changed either. Wayland was always to me a great place to go and play because they had so much tradition and the sign on the wall of all the Wasp's records and what Kelly did were something to see and especially for the teams that came in there to play. I don't live in Wayland nor did I play there but to change the name of the old gym just doesn't seem like something that needs to be done. They had many excellent players that gutted it out to keep that tradition from the 56 team going and they spent alot of hours there just to be on the teams that had the name across the jersey. It seems there is just something special about that little coal town. Yeah OSD he was the greatest and it doesn't matter who comes along in Kentucky and plays basketball they will never replace that. That's just a fact---not hear say. look it up.

**jammin' jamey** · 03-17-2007, 06:49 PM

From what I gathered from the article, Jerry Fultz, King Kelly and some other board members of the Hall of Fame want to utilize the gym to house the Hall. This past summer, I had a chance to visit the Wayland Historical Society and there are tons of Wayland trophies and memorbilia from their past there, including a football! Yes, I didn't know it, but Wayland once had a football team and in their final game, they defeated Prestonsburg and the football from that final game is there.

Also, the idea of having a "trail" devoted to old high school gyms is a pretty good idea. I personally always wanted to put together a full color book with pictures of the historical gyms that are still standing or places where they once stood and include some facts about the teams and such. There are tons of special places in the mountains that should be remembered, it would be a great undertaking, but the end product would be a nice piece of history.

Blue-N-Gold · 03-17-2007, 08:07 PM

BeaverCreek Connection Wrote:Hey Dawg, lighten up on the King. I have interviewed him and he was very cordial and nice to me. For years he did not want to draw attention to himself. He is kinda like the rest of us, life has sometimes dealt him ups and downs. I commend him for what he is wanting to do, no better place to have the Mountain Roundball Hall of Fame than Wayland, KY where the greatest KY prep player lived and played.

Do you still have the interview?

**Wyatt Earp** · 03-17-2007, 08:11 PM

I know that the Maytown gym is still in existence and of course the Wayland gym along with the old Wheelwright gym. I didn't know if the Auxier gym is still standing or not.

**-STAT-** · 03-17-2007, 08:24 PM

Wyatt Earp Wrote:I know that the Maytown gym is still in existence and of course the Wayland gym along with the old Wheelwright gym. I didn't know if the Auxier gym is still standing or not.

Im usually in the old Maytown gym alot, considering I live in Maytown.

**jammin' jamey** · 03-17-2007, 08:37 PM

Wyatt Earp Wrote:I know that the Maytown gym is still in existence and of course the Wayland gym along with the old Wheelwright gym. I didn't know if the Auxier gym is still standing or not.

Over in Knott County, isn't Carr Creek's old gym still in use? I've been in old Hindman High's gym.

**-STAT-** · 03-17-2007, 09:23 PM

jammin' jamey Wrote:Over in Knott County, isn't Carr Creek's old gym still in use? I've been in old Hindman High's gym.

Yeah Carr Creek's is still in use. My Dad reffed a ball game there a few months back.

firetubbyplease! · 03-17-2007, 10:32 PM

Believe the old Auxier gym is still standing. CAP bought the school from Floyd county school district when Auxier school was closed a few years ago. Last I heard CAP was using the building as a community outreach place and the gym could be rented.

Doc John · 03-19-2007, 03:12 AM

Stats ive been looking for a place to play ball. Private message me on some details on when they play in maytown, if im welcome.

**OffTheHook** · 03-19-2007, 10:16 AM

From the report on wymt. I gathered that they were going to try and create an EKY Hall of fame. Cause King said the boys on this side of the state don't get enough recognition for what they do.

**RavenBoy** · 05-03-2007, 10:48 PM

Whatever happend about this issue??

**jammin' jamey** · 05-04-2007, 01:13 PM

RavenBoy Wrote:Whatever happend about this issue??

I guess it's still in the planning stages or in the works. Haven't heard anything new.

**RavenBoy** · 05-04-2007, 11:20 PM

So did KKC buy the gym??

**BlackcatAlum** · 05-04-2007, 11:30 PM

I'm glad somones doing somthing with it. I seen it about two years ago and it looked horrible.