The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) announced today that former Georgetown coach John Thompson has been selected as the first winner of the Dean Smith Award, named in honor of the legendary North Carolina coach.
Thompson will be presented the award at a dinner in Chapel Hill on November 10th. All net proceeds from the dinner and a special memorabilia auction will benefit the Dean E. Smith Opening Doors Fund, which provides financial assistance for undergraduate students from low-income families and enables professionals in education and social work to pursue advanced degrees.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, Thompson retired in 1999 with a 26-year record at Georgetown of 596-239.