NEW YORK (AP) Bob McKillop, about to start his 29th season as coach at Davidson, and TV analysts Bill Raftery and Doris Burke have been chosen for the 2017 Lapchick Character Award.
The three will be honored on Oct. 6 at a luncheon in New York to celebrate the life of Joe Lapchick, a Hall of Fame coach with St. John’s and the New York Knicks, who was known for his compassion and integrity off the court.
McKillop, who played at Hofstra and coached at Holy Trinity and Long Island Lutheran high schools on Long Island, went on to a stellar career at Davidson where he has compiled a 533-330 record while maintaining the school’s high academic standards.
In 2015, Davidson’s first season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Wildcats won the regular-season title.
Davidson’s best run under McKillop was a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 when the Wildcats, led by Stephen Curry, lost to Kansas in a game to get to the Final Four.
Raftery is one of TV sport’s glibbest analysts and there are dictionaries to explain his catchphrases.
It has been 25 years since Raftery became an analyst for ESPN and it has been two years since he has been on the Final Four broadcast for CBS.
From 1970-1981, he served as head coach at Seton Hall, where he led the Pirates to seven straight winning seasons and a record of 154-141. Raftery had a stellar college career at La Salle.
Burke has been with ESPN since 1991 and she has performed a variety of duties there. Whether a color analyst or a sideline reporter, Burke has worked both men’s and women’s college games as well as covering the NBA.
A former standout at Providence College who held seven records upon graduation, Burke received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2005.
The Lapchick Award was first presented in 2008. Previous winners include Naismith Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski, Lou Carnesecca, Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, John Thompson Jr., Bob Hurley Sr., Pete Carril, Jody Conradt, Morgan Wootten, Pete Newell, C.M. Newton, Don Haskins and Kay Yow.
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