Dale Brown can still pass a ball with the best of them.

Minot honored its native son Saturday with praise and jokes and a few tears. During a ceremony to dedicate the refurbished Hammond Park basketball courts in his honor on Saturday morning, Brown invited his old teammate Henry Milkey up on the stage and invited Milkey to pass the basketball. Then the two men stood grinning in the sunlight, trading old stories.

“A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘Did you play basketball with Dale Brown?’ ” said Milkey. “I say, hell, no, Dale Brown played basketball with Henry Milkey.’ “

AJ Lizotte, who initially proposed naming the basketball courts at Hammond Park in honor of Brown, choked up when he recalled how his dad talked with him about his old friend, Brown, when they were watching a college basketball game together in 1979. His dad passed away from a heart attack not long after, but Lizotte said he remembered that conversation. Brown has always chatted with him when he has returned for events in Minot and took time to watch Lizotte’s son run and offer advice on how he might improve, said Lizotte.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., both spoke during the dedication and had high praise for Brown and his career.

Cramer said Brown’s legacy will be “all the beautiful children who are going to play (on the basketball courts) next week, next year and generations from now.”

Hoeven said he grew up hearing stories about Brown. Brown was an amazing coach who inspired people on and off the basketball court, said Hoeven, but he also never forgot his roots and that he came from North Dakota.

Brown, an outstanding athlete in high school and in college, said he didn’t have the advantage of outdoor basketball courts when he was growing up.

“The Presbyterian Church had a basement we’d sneak in and shoot baskets in” when they could, said Brown.

Brown grew up in a family without a lot of resources, so he took a paper route to earn some money. He said doing well in athletics gave him a positive self esteem and also helped him learn discipline, teamwork and taught him to be a positive thinker.

Echoing one of his mentors, Brown, 80, said he still feels like he’s a work in progress.

He thanked the crowd for the honor.

“Thanks, Minot, that’s really nice of you,” he said.

The event was also attended by Don Horaist, from New Orleans, and his nephew, Wesley Hall and Hall’s wife, Lien Hall. Horaist, who attended Louisiana State University, said Brown did a tremendous amount for Louisiana State.

“I’ve always been a big fan of LSU,” said Horaist, as well as of Brown. He said he just had the opportunity to meet Brown on the plane to Minot.

The basketball courts were recently renovated to better meet the needs of adults and children in the community. The Hammond Park location was chosen in honor of the close relationship Brown had with Reuben “Ookie” Hammond, who was a mentor to Brown during his high school career, according to the Minot Park District.

Brown was born and grew up in Minot, where he was a star athlete at St. Leo’s High School and later at Minot State Teacher’s College, where he earned 12 varsity letters in football, basketball and track. He graduated from Minot State in 1957 and received a master’s degree at the University of Oregon in 1964.

Brown began his coaching career in North Dakota, where he coached several high school sports. He was at one time the head basketball coach at Bishop Ryan High School. Later, he took positions at Utah State and Washington State before he became head basketball coach at Louisiana State University in 1972. Over 25 years at LSU, Brown led his teams to 15 straight National Tournaments and Two Final Fours. He was twice named the National College Basketball Coach of the Year.

Brown retired in 1997 and has since become a successful author and motivational speaker. He is a member of the North Dakota and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame; the North Dakota and Louisiana Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame; and has been honored as a SEC Living Legend. In November 2014, he was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame along with former LSU and NBA player Shaquille O’Neal.

Brown has made regular trips back to Minot and North Dakota and has been generous to the local community.

Support from the community is needed to fund the dedication project, to include landscaping and a commemorative piece naming the courts. Any additional funds received will be donated toward local educational needs and to establish the Minot Park District Endowment Fund. People may pay over the phone with a MasterCard or Visa card by calling the Minot Park District Foundation at 857-4136 or make checks payable to the Minot Park District Foundation. People should write Dale Brown Courts Dedication in the memo line and mail payments to Minot Park District Foundation, P.O. Box 538, Minot, N.D. 58702.