The Ouachita men's basketball team will honor the late, iconic Head Coach Bill Vining Sr. by wearing a commemorative patch with the initials "BV" on their jerseys to serve as tribute for the entire 2025-26 season. 

Ouachita will hold a special pregame ceremony to honor the legacy of Coach Vining on Tuesday, Nov. 18 ahead of the home opener against Dallas Christian. The men's basketball program invites fans, alumni and the Arkadelphia community to join Ouachita in celebrating his legacy before the 7 p.m. tip-off of Tuesday's home opener. 

Coach Vining led the Tigers for 34 seasons from 1954 to 1989 and later served as athletic director for Ouachita from 1965 to 1996. The Ouachita alum got his start at the young age of 24 and became the first and only college men's basketball coach in Arkansas to reach 500 career wins, while guiding his teams to six conference championships. 

Coach Vining left an imprint that goes well beyond Arkadelphia. He earned recognition on a global stage by coaching U.S. national basketball teams in international competition, leading future Pro Basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief to a gold medal at the 1977 World University Games. 

Though the Tigers return just four players from last year's team, Ouachita added seven transfers and brought in four freshmen. Ouachita begins the 2025-26 basketball season competing in the GAC/MIAA challenge in Skiatook, Oklahoma, starting with the season opener on Friday against Rogers State at 6:30 p.m.