BEAUFORT — West Carteret High School will name its basketball court in honor of retired basketball coach Billy Widgeon, according to a report in the Carteret County Times-News.

The Carteret County Board of Education has approved the naming. The board unanimously approved waiving the one-year waiting period, and then in a second motion, they approved naming the basketball court in Widgeon’s honor.

Widgeon is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, joining in 2009.

He starred on the 1953 Newport High School team that won the state 1-A basketball title and then led Atlantic Christian College (now Barton) to the NAIA national basketball championship in 1955.

He is also a member of the West Carteret Hall of Fame and the Barton College Hall of Fame.

Widgeon coached at Bailey High School from 1957 to 1964, where he directed the girls’ basketball team to a state record of 107 straight victories.

He took over coaching at West Carteret in 1965. During the next 23 seasons, he led the Patriots to 342 victories, winning nine regular season conference titles and eight conference tournament titles. He also coached golf 27 seasons.