Character Award

John Thompson, took him in and mentored Allen Iverson when every other school gave up on him.

In 2013 John Thompson Jr.saved a local Boys & Girls Club from closing with a gift of more than $40,000.

38 years as a college head coach, Coach Yow was one of only six Division I women’s basketball head coaches to achieve 700 career victories.

Kay Yow waged a long battle with breast cancer and was known for her efforts to promote research and awareness of the disease, which included helping to establish the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in 2007.

Pat Summitt was a seven-time SEC Coach of the year and a 7-time NCAA Coach of the year and won eight national titles. Amazing.

Pat Summit created a legacy of success and integrity unparalleled in women’s basketball, named the Naismith Coach of the Century.

Carnesecca is widely known for his sense of humor and his signature sweater. We also honor him for his incredible character.

Animated and energetic. Lou Carnesecca was full of life and a character worthy of a Joe Lapchick Character Award Honoree in our inaugural year.

“Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach – he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We’ve lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players, his staff and the entire UNC family.”

"For 36 years as the Tar Heels' head coach, Dean Smith built a family. He created a shared identity for the legions of UNC fans who still buy the tickets and wear the T-shirts and paint their dens Carolina blue. His teams won 20 or more games for 27 years in a row. But more than that, they won with a selfless style. Dean's most lasting invention was his simplest: When you make a basket, you point to the player who threw the pass. He taught his team, and those who watched, that everyone is connected. -
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