LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Calipari of Kentucky will receive the John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching honor.
Greg Wooden, grandson of the late UCLA coach, announced his selection Tuesday.
The honorees are chosen based on character, on-court success, graduation rate of players in their program and coaching philosophy. The award will be presented in April at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Calipari led the Wildcats to a national championship in 2012. He guided the program to four Final Four appearances in a five-year span, with Wooden and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski the only other men’s coaches to accomplish that feat.
Calipari was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2015. He has coached three Wooden Award winners, including Oscar Tshiebwe in 2022.
Off the court, Calipari has his own foundation and has worked with the American Red Cross to raise money to help people affected by disasters.
Previous winners of the award include South Carolina's Dawn Staley, Bill Self of Kansas, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Denny Crum of Louisville.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll
