By Dave Morrison
Register-Herald Sports Editor
KANSAS CITY — Mountain State coach Bob Bolen was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches NAIA Coach of the Year Tuesday night at the NAIA National Tournament Tip-Off Banquet at the Kansas City Convention Center.
The NABC names five coaches of the year: NCAA Divisions I, II and III and NAIA Divisions I and II.
“It’s a tremendous honor,” Bolen said. “It’s a team achievement award and it also says something about the stability of our program.
“I’ve got the guy who gave me my first job and is a coaching legend (Dave Barksdale) sitting beside me and I have two former players who were among the best at our school (Artis Maddox and A.J. Jackson).
“We have the same president at the school (Charles Polk) who hired me 16 years ago. So there is a lot of stability within the program.”
Bolen has led MSU to 12 straight NAIA National Tournament appearances, is a 10-time regional coach of the year and was the 2004 NAIA Coach of the Year.
MSU’s Rashad Nesbitt was named a Pattison Scholarship winner, one of four chosen from the 32 Champions of Character Award winners chosen Friday night.
Nesbitt is the fourth straight MSU player to win a Pattison Scholarship.
There were several notable state connections at the banquet Tuesday.
NAIA Hall of Fame Inductee (Coach Division) Buddy Meyer is a native of Davis.
Hall of Fame Inductees Dr. Phil and Mary Pattison (Meritorious Service Category) are serving as MSU’s honorary coaches this week.
And the mayor of Kansas City, Mark Funkhouser, noted that after seeing the “Coal Country Coach” (MSU’s bus) out front, reminded him that a team from his home state, West Virginia, was a participant in the tournament.
MSU opens the tournament at 11:45 a.m. EST today when it faces Bacone (Okla.).
— E-mail: demorrison@register-herald.com
