Merrimack to Name Basketball Court in Honor of Bert Hammel During Homecoming

will honor long-time men’s basketball head coach Bert Hammel by naming the Volpe Gymnasium court Bert Hammel Court in a special on-court ceremony Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m.

Alumni, staff and fans wishing to attend the special ceremony should RSVP at athletics@merrimack.edu or call 978-837-5341 by Oct. 7.

Hammel joined the Merrimack basketball program in 1974 and was named the seventh head coach in Merrimack men’s basketball history in 1981.

Entering his 32nd season at the helm of the Merrimack men’s basketball program, Hammel ranks 22nd all-time in Division II wins with a 459-423 all-time record as a head coach. He has guided the Warriors to six NCAA Tournaments, two Northeast-10 Conference regular season titles and one Northeast-10 Conference Tournament crown.

Under Hammel’s tutelage, 16 players have garnered Northeast-10 Conference first-team selections while three attained All-America status.

Hammel has made the Merrimack men’s basketball program a fixture in the local communities in his time. He started and developed the Academic Basketball Awareness (ABA) Camp in conjunction with the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. Each summer, campers are invited to play basketball and study for one week. Hammel has been recognized for his generosity with many awards including the UMass Amherst Sports Management Program Service Beyond Recognition Award and the Literacy Champion presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He has twice been honored by the City of Lawrence and is a two-time recipient of the Paul Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award.