When the Wellsville-Middletown basketball teams start their home season in mid-December, fans will get to see a new look on the school’s basketball court.

The court is now called the Bill Roundtree and Fred Johnson Court, named after the two basketball legends at W-M who combined for 6,795 points in high school and are the top two scorers in Missouri state high school basketball history. Their names are written on the left side of the court.

The court got its new name during a ceremony on Nov. 2 that honored the two players. At 5:18 p.m., Leo Oligschlaeger, Charlie Freie and Luke Wilson removed a black plastic mat that covered the left side of the court. Roundtree and Johnson got to see their names written on the floor, being rewarded for their successful careers.

“The floor is named after you now,” W-M softball and baseball coach Alex Thull said. “It’s well-deserving and it’s long overdue. We’ll work hard for the rest of this time to live up to those names on the court.”

Also, six basketball teams were honored at the two-hour ceremony. They were the 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987 and 2022 boys basketball teams and the 1983 girls basketball team. All of them finished in the top four in the state tournament. Former Missouri men’s basketball coach Norm Stewart was at the event.

“Our unofficial motto this year is Restore the Roar,” W-M Superintendent Tiffany Gosseen said. “This gathering is a tremendous step towards doing just that. Let us honor the past, celebrate the present and embrace the future. I’m proud to join you as we declare, ‘Once a Tiger, always a Tiger.’”

Roundtree credits W-M superintendent secretary Michelle Stroup for organizing the event.

“I know Michelle and I exchanged a number of phone calls and a number of text messages along the way,” Roundtree said. “I know she advocated for this day. I know the work she put into making this a very special experience. The phone calls she made and the text messages that she sent. I’m grateful for her.”

Before the showing of the new court name, a proclamation was presented to Johnson and Roundtree by the City of Wellsville.

“I take great pride in being a former Tiger athlete myself,” Wellsville City Clerk Brittany Bishop said. “I grew up listening to my parents and uncles’ stories of the great accomplishments of the 80s Tigers and Lady Tigers’ basketball teams. It is my pleasure to be part of this dedication today.”

Roundtree and Johnson graduated from W-M in 1982 and 1986, respectively. They competed in a combined total of three Final Fours.

Johnson helped the Tigers finish second in his senior year, while Roundtree played on a W-M team that placed fourth in Class 2 in his sophomore year and runner-up in Class 1 in his junior year.

Roundtree is second behind Johnson for the most points with 3,243. While at W-M, Roundtree broke the old mark of 3,066 that was set by Bill Bradley of Crystal City, who went on to play in the NBA. Roundtree continued his basketball career at Mizzou.

“As a young man, Bill was my mentor,” Johnson said. “I grew up watching him. I wanted to be like him. Bill came out and did everything to represent this school well.”

Johnson is first in scoring with 3,552. He broke Roundtree’s mark and took over the top scoring spot during a game at Bowling Green in his senior year. He was a three-time all-state performer and played collegiate ball at Three Rivers Community College and Missouri State University.

“I’ve known Fred forever,” Roundtree said. “I’m going to double down on the fact that I couldn’t think of any finer person to break my record than Fred Johnson.”

W-M’s first home high school basketball game that will be played at the new Roundtree and Johnson Court will be on Dec. 13, when the Tigers’ boys and girls squads take on Liberty Christian.

Marty Canterbury, who was Johnson’s teammate on the 1986 team that finished second in Class 1, said having the W-M basketball court named after Roundtree and Johnson is a big honor for both of them.

“They’re two of the greatest human beings I know,” Canterbury said.