University of North Carolina Athletics
Dean Smith To Receive Lapchick Character Award
October 21, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2008
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Hall of Fame coaches Pat Summitt, Lou Carnesecca and Dean Smith will receive the inaugural Joe Lapchick Character Awards in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 20, it was announced Tuesday.
The award, the idea of former St. John's player and longtime high school coach Gus Alfieri, was established to recognize basketball coaches who have shown the character and coaching ability of Hall of Famer Joe Lapchick, who coached at St. John's and with the New York Knicks.
"There could not be a better time to focus attention on character in sports but the present and Joe Lapchick is the model for the person we should look to,'' said Alfieri, who was on Lapchick's 1959 NIT championship team.
Lapchick, a standout player who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1959 as a member of the original Celtics, coached at St. John's from 1936-47 and 1956-1965 compiling a 334-130 record and winning four NIT championships. He spent nine seasons in the fledgling NBA and was credited as one of the leaders in integrating the league. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach in 1966. He died in 1970.
Smith led North Carolina to 11 Final Fours and two national championships in his 36 seasons there, compiling an 879-254 record. When he retired he had the most wins in Division I history, a mark since eclipsed by Bob Knight. Again, his most impressive statistic is that 96 percent of the lettermen who played under him graduated.
North Carolina named its arena after him and what may have been an even bigger honor for Smith, who is heavily involved in the community, is that he was the first recipient of the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement, given by the North Carolina Committee on Teaching Awards for `"a broader range of teaching beyond the classroom.''
Summitt, the winningest coach in women's college basketball history with a 983-182 record in 34 seasons at Tennessee, has led the Lady Vols to eight national championships, but an even more impressive statistic is that 100 percent of the players who have completed their eligibility have graduated. Tennessee honored her by naming the court at its Thompson-Boling Arena "The Summitt.'" Summitt is heavily involved in the community and in a number of causes from the United Way to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Carnesecca was an assistant to Lapchick for nine years and succeeded him following the 1964-65 season. He coached at his alma mater for 24 seasons, each ending on a postseason appearance, including the 1985 Final Four. Carnesecca, who coached in the ABA for three seasons, finished with a record of 526-200 and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1992.
One of the most recognizable faces in New York City for his support of community programs, Carnesecca is considered one of the ambassadors of basketball in his effort to bring it to the international stage. St. John's renamed Alumni Hall in his honor in 2004.
The Joe Lapchick Character Award has the support of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The awards will be presented at Madison Square Garden at 11 a.m. on the day of the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
