Coach of the Year Finalists: Iba Award

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) - The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has announced finalists for the 2009 Henry Iba Award, to be presented to the association's national coach of the year.

 

Oklahoma's Jeff Capel is one of a trio of Big 12 coaches among the 10 selected as finalists. The others are Missouri's Mike Anderson and Kansas' Bill Self. None of the 10 finalists has ever won the award.

 

The presentation of this year's award will take place on Friday, April 3 at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast at the downtown Detroit Athletic Club in conjunction with the Men's Final Four. The breakfast will also honor the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the association's player of the year, as well as the 1979 Michigan State national championship team that was led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

 

The Henry Iba Award is voted on by the entire membership of the association, which consists of nearly 800 journalists. The ballot was distributed to the membership Monday.

 

The following coaches are finalists for the Henry Iba Award:

 

Mike Anderson, Missouri

John Calipari, Memphis

Jeff Capel, Oklahoma

Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh

Mike Montgomery, California

Stew Morrill, Utah State

Matt Painter, Purdue

Oliver Purnell, Clemson

Bill Self, Kansas

Brad Stevens, Butler