April 7, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Kentucky coach Tubby Smith its 2003 Division I Coach of the Year on Sunday at its meetings in New Orleans.

For Smith, its his ninth National Coach of the Year honor this season, but even more impressive, he captured all six that the NCAA officially recognizes, the first coach to achieve that feat since Bobby Knight in 1975.

Smith also received national coaching honors this season from The Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (Hank Iba Award), the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith), The Sporting News, Basketball Times, CBS/Chevrolet, ESPN, and Foxsports.com. The NCAA recognizes the AP, USBWA, NABC, Naismith, Sporting News and CBS/Chevrolet awards. In 1975, Knight swept the five awards recognized then by the NCAA.

Smith is the third Kentucky coach to win the NABC award. Adolph Rupp was honored in 1966 and Eddie Sutton won the award in 1986. Smith’s Wildcats swept through the Southeastern Conference slate this season with a perfect 19-0 record, finished as the nation’s No. 1 team in the final AP poll and advanced to the Elite Eight with a 32-4 mark.