| By
Brooks
D. Downing


Coach
Tubby Smith captured all six coaching awards the NCAA
officially recognizes, the first coach to achieve
that feat since Bobby Knight in 1975.

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April
7 , 2003 (Lexington, Ky.) --
The National Association
of Basketball Coaches named Kentucky coach Tubby
Smith its 2003 Division I Coach of the Year on Sunday
at its meetings in New Orleans.
For
Smith, its his ninth National Coach of the Year honor
this season, but even more impressive, he captured
all six that the NCAA
officially recognizes, the first coach to achieve
that feat since Bobby Knight in 1975.
Smith also received national coaching honors this
season from The Associated
Press, the U.S.
Basketball Writers Association (Hank Iba Award),
the Atlanta
Tipoff Club (Naismith), The
Sporting News, Basketball
Times, CBS/Chevrolet,
ESPN, and Foxsports.com.
The NCAA recognizes the AP, USBWA, NABC, Naismith,
Sporting News and CBS/Chevrolet awards. In 1975, Knight
swept the five awards recognized then by the NCAA.
Smith is the third Kentucky coach to win the NABC
award. Adolph Rupp was honored in 1966 and Eddie Sutton
won the award in 1986. Smith's Wildcats swept through
the Southeastern Conference slate this season with
a perfect 19-0 record, finished as the nation's No.
1 team in the final AP poll and advanced to the Elite
Eight with a 32-4 mark.
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