NEW YORK (AP) NCAA championship coaches Jay Wright of Villanova and Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame will be this year’s recipients of the Joe Lapchick Character Award.
Wright guided the Wildcats to their second title in three years while McGraw led the Irish to their first national championship since 2001. The pair of coaches will be honored along with Solly Walker, the first African-American to play basketball at St. John’s, at a luncheon on Sept. 21.
This is the 11th year that award will be presented. It’s named after the Naismith Hall of Fame coach and recognizes those who have shown the character traits of Lapchick, who coached at St. John’s and with the New York Knicks.
Wright is one of only three active Division I head coaches with multiple national championships. McGraw’s squad capped off a thrilling NCAA Tournament with buzzer-beating wins in the Final Four and national title game.
Walker helped St. John’s reach the NCAA title game in 1952 and the NIT championship game the next season.
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