Five of college basketball top players and four coaches have been named finalists for the Chip Hilton and Clair Bee Awards, to be presented by Chip Hilton Sports and the National Association of Basketball Coaches at the Final Four in Detroit on April 5, 2009.
The Selection Committee is composed of: Dan Beebe, Jay Bilas, Dave Gavitt, Bob Hammel, Bob Knight, Pat Knight, Billy Packer, Dean Smith, and Dick Vitale.
The Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award honors a senior Division I men’s player for demonstrating outstanding character, leadership, and talent similar to the qualities evident in the 24-book Chip Hilton sports fiction series. The books authored by Clair Bee enjoyed their first popularity in the late 1940s through the mid-1960s and were updated and re-released to a new generation of readers in 1999.
The Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award honors a Division I men’s basketball coach who through his actions on and off the court, makes an outstanding contribution to the sport of college basketball. The criteria for this award involves actions that inspire, motivate, coach and educate their teams to achieve their fullest potential and demonstrate outstanding character.
Coaching finalists:
Mike Anderson, Missouri
Brad Greenberg, Radford University
Trent Johnson, Louisiana State University
Andy Kennedy, University of Mississippi
Player finalists:
A.J. Abrams, Texas
Jon Brockman,Washington
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Jason Holsinger, Evansville
Brett Winkelman, North Dakota State