Atlanta TIPOFF Club  Announces Naismith Men's College Coach Of The  Year Finalists
Capel, Dixon, Johnson  and Self Vie For Prestigious Award

ATLANTA  (March 19, 2009) – Four  of the nation’s top coaches who have won at least 25 games this season have  been named as finalists for the 2009 Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year,  the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.  

Oklahoma’s  Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, LSU’s Trent Johnson and Kansas’ Bill Self  make up the final ballot for the most prestigious national award presented  annually to the top men’s college basketball coach.  The winner will be  announced in early April.

The  finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors,  comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from  around the country. The board based its criteria on coaching performances this  season. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif,  Arogeti & Wynne, LLP.  HA&W is the largest independent accounting  firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States.

“The  collective accomplishments of these coaches and their programs is remarkable,  and they all are worthy of consideration for the Naismith Award,” said Gary  Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president.  “The tournament will go a long way  to determining a very deserving winner.”

ABOUT THE FINALISTS: 

Jeff  Capel:  In just his third season Capel has taken the Sooners from a .500 team to a 27-5  (12-3 Big 12) record and No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Men’s basketball  Tournament.  The Sooners are making their 26 NCAA tournament appearance  and 13th in the last 15 years.  Capel has posted a 66-32 record  thus far in his tenure, and a 145-73 career mark, including four seasons at  Virginia Commonwealth. 

Jamie  Dixon:  Dixon has led the Panthers (28-4, 15-3 Big East) to the NCAA Tournament  appearances in each of his first six seasons as head coach, becoming the  first coach in school history to do so, and the team has made a school-record  eighth straight tournament visits.  And also for the first time in school  history, the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team will enter an NCAA  Tournament as a No. 1 seed.  In six seasons, Dixon’s career record at Pitt  is 160-44.

Trent  Johnson:  The first-year coach led LSU to the Southeastern Conference (SEC)  regular-season championship, posting a 13-3 league mark (26-7 overall) en route  to being named the SEC Coach of the Year.   The Tigers are back in  the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence.  With previous stops at  Nevada and Stanford, Johnson has amassed a career record of 185-128 in 10  seasons, including coach of the year honors in the Western Athletic Conference  and Pacific 10.

Bill  Self:   The Big 12 Coach of the Year led Kansas (25-7, 14-2) to its fifth-straight  Conference Championship, despite losing six of its top seven scorers, including  all five starters, from last year’s NCAA National Championship team.  In  six seasons as head coach, he has won one national championship, five  regular-season Big 12 titles and three league tournament championships.   Self is also a four-time finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award  (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003).

Last  year, Memphis’ John Calipari claimed the Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year  award, his second such honor (Massachusetts, 1996).

For  more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

ABOUT  THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB 
The  Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to  promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding  accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff  Club, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy  every year since UCLA’s Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969.  Old  Dominion’s Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women’s Naismith Trophy in 1983.

The  Naismith Award has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the  Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s  College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding  achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the  game.