More than 20 years had passed since Gus Gerard last set foot in Charlottesville. That’s when his life began to crumble as a result of his addiction to drugs and alcohol - an addiction that cost him his family, friends, and a small fortune accumulated as a pro basketball player.

The former star Cavalier basketball player, who left school a year early in 1974 to play in the ABA and eventually the NBA, will deliver his talk, “The Long Way Home: Gus Gerard’s Path to Recovery,” at 7 p.m.  in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.