People in Kansas aren’t the only ones who think the Midwest is a heavy hitter when it comes to basketball tradition.

In a news conference this week in Kansas City, Mo., Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky coach Tubby Smith lent their support to a proposed bond issue to fund a new $250 million arena in downtown Kansas City. The two veteran coaches also reiterated the commitment of the National Association of Basketball Coaches to relocate its national headquarters to the proposed center as well as establishing a college basketball hall of fame there.

Kansas City’s status as a hub of national college basketball activity has suffered in recent years because of the decline of facilities at Kemper Arena, which no longer is considered large enough to be host for an NCAA championship game. Kansas City, the longtime home of the Big Eight Conference tournament also has lost its grasp on the Big 12 tournament, which has been played in Dallas for the last two years. The tournament will return to Kansas City for one year in 2005, but the plan is to rotate it to various Big 12 cities.

Organizers hope a new arena also would improve the chances the city could attract a National Basketball Assn. or National Hockey League team to Kansas. Without a new arena, Kansas City’s reputation and prestige as a host city for major athletic events will continue to decline.

As Krzyzewski and Smith noted this week, Kansas City is the perfect place for a hall of fame that will focus on college basketball and supplement the existing Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. The hall of fame also could open some doors for a complementary exhibit in Lawrence honoring the founder of basketball, James Naismith. A number of local enthusiasts have wanted to pursue a Naismith museum or memorial for some time, and such an institution would be a wonderful reason for basketball fans who are in Kansas City to make a side trip to Lawrence.

The proposed Kansas City bond issue would be funded by city taxes on hotel rooms and car rentals, which means that most of the costs would be paid by visitors to the city.

If Kansas City wants to maintain and build its reputation as an attractive and energetic destination city, it must invest in its future. Without such an investment, the economic vitality of the city will slowly decline.

The basketball coaches’ commitment to move their headquarters and raise money for a college hall of fame is an important contribution to the proposed facility. Hopefully, Kansas City voters will match that commitment by approving the proposed bond issue and trying to return Kansas City to its role as a center of college basketball tradition and activity.