KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 9, 2023) – The National Association of Basketball Coaches on Thursday announced the recipients of the 2023 NABC Metropolitan Award, Hillyard Golden Anniversary Award, Cliff Wells Appreciation Award and Social Impact Award.
Championship-winning coach Tubby Smith is the recipient of the 2023 NABC Metropolitan Award, while longtime Rollins coach
Tom Klusman has been selected as the 2023 NABC Hillyard Golden Anniversary Award winner. Former NCAA coordinator of officials J.D. Collins will be presented with the 2023 NABC Cliff Wells Appreciation Award, and the 2023 NABC Social Impact Award will go to Harvard business school professor Dr. James I. Cash.
The Metropolitan, Cliff Wells and Golden Anniversary awards recognize coaches and administrators who have made significant impacts on the game of basketball and the NABC, while the Social Impact Award honors individuals who champion the cause of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Tom Klusman was named the head coach at Rollins in 1980 at just 26 years old, and in the 43 seasons since has consistently maintained the school's status as one of Division II's elite programs. Klusman completed the 2022-23 season with 746 career victories – the most of any active Division II coach. He is also one of just 10 coaches in Division II history to eclipse 700 career wins. Klusman has led Rollins to NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances in 2004 and 2017.
At the conference level, Klusman has led the Tars to seven SSC regular season titles, four SSC tournament titles, and eight appearances in the NCAA tournament. He is a two-time winner of the NABC South Region Coach of the Year award (1991, 2003) and has six SSC Coach of the Year awards to his name (1984, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011). He is a member of the both the Rollins Athletics Hall of Fame (1992) as well as the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame (2000).
He has coached six All-Americans, nine All-South selections, four SSC Players of the Year, four SSC Freshmen of the Year, and 53 All-SSC players.
All four awards will be presented during the 2023 NABC Convention in Houston, March 31-April 2.
