ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Missouri’s Frank Haith is the 2011-12 recipient of the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
In compiling arguably the greatest season in school history, the Tigers racked up a 30 wins for just the second time in school history and rose to as high as No. 2 in the nation to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Led by second-team USBWA All-American Marcus Denmon, the Tigers won a record 14 Big 12 Conference games and the Big 12 Tournament after posting a school-record 27 regular-season wins.
In his first season at Missouri, the USBWA District VI Coach of the Year, guided a team that was ranked 25th in the Associated Press’ preseason poll and picked fourth in the Big 12 to unexpected heights. Playing with only seven scholarship players for the most of the season but with a core of seniors in the lineup, Missouri won 18 of its first 19 games.
“Frank Haith worked his way to the top level of the coaching profession, first by working his way through college at Elon and then through a series of staff jobs,” said USBWA President Lenox Rawlings of the Winston-Salem Journal. “In the face of skepticism from fans who wanted a neon-lights celebrity coach, Haith and his staff developed a feisty team that eventually set the school record for regular-season victories and won the Big 12 Tournament championship.”
After finishing the season 30-5, Haith now boasts a 159-106 (60.0 winning percentage) overall career record. Prior to coming to Missouri for the 2011-12 season, Haith produced a 129-101 mark at Miami (Fla.), where the 25-year coaching veteran led the Hurricanes to five postseason appearances in six seasons.
Haith will receive the Henry Iba Award at the USBWA’s College Basketball Awards Breakfast held in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four on Friday, March 30, at the New Orleans Marriott at 8 a.m. In addition to the Henry Iba Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented to Kentucky’s Anthony Davis as the association’s national player of the year. The legendary LSU coach Dale Brown and his 1981 and ’86 Final Four teams will also be honored on that Friday morning. For tickets to the breakfast, visit the usbwa website, usbwa.com.
The Henry Iba Award is named in honor of the legendary Oklahoma State coach who won 655 games and two national championships in 36 seasons in Stillwater. The award is voted on by all members of the USBWA at the conclusion of the regular season. The USBWA has presented a National Coach of the Year Award each year since the 1958-59 season.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.
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