LUBBOCK, Texas -- Butler head coach Brad Stevens has been named a finalist for the Clair Bee Award, Chip Hilton Sports announced today. Stevens is one of three finalists for the honor, which will be presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Chip Hilton Sports at the Final Four on April 3.
Stevens, the winningest coach in NCAA history in his first four years, brings Butler to its second consecutive Final Four with a 27-9 record and a 13-game winning streak. The two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year owns a 116-24 record in four years at the helm of the Bulldogs. Butler has won at least 26 games in each of the last five seasons, with the last four coming during Stevens' tenure.
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 include a coach's ability to inspire, motivate, coach, and educate his team to achieve its fullest potential awhile insisting upon and demonstrating outstanding character and academic success.
Coach Clair F. Bee, the late Long Island University coach and Hall of Famer, compiled a .826 lifetime winning percentage, still the best in major-college coaching history. Known as the "Innovator," Clair Bee's influence on the game also extended to strategies (the 1-3-1 zone defense and the 3-second rule) and the development of sports camps (Camp All-America and Kutsher's Sports Academy). Coach Bee authored technical coaching books and conducted coaching clinics around the world.
Chip Hilton Sports began presenting the awards in 1997 as a way to honor outstanding excellence and character in college basketball during the season.
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.
Clair Bee Award Finalists:
Rick Byrd, Belmont University
Brad Stevens, Butler University
Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M University
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball
