Coaches Awards
The Coaches Awards program honors the leaders who shape the game of women’s basketball at every level. From rising stars to seasoned veterans, these awards celebrate excellence, integrity, innovation, and lasting impact—on the court, within programs, and across the sport.
Each honor recognizes coaches who exemplify leadership, mentorship, and commitment to the values that move the game forward. Together, these awards reflect the depth, diversity, and strength of the coaching community and the profound influence coaches have on student-athletes and the future of women’s basketball.
Awards
Assistant Coach of the Year is presented annually in each of the six membership divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, two-year college and high school.
The late Carol Eckman is regarded as the mother of the college women’s basketball national championship. She organized the first college women’s basketball championship tournament at West Chester State College in 1969. Eckman continued to garner recognition and support for the women’s game until her death in 1985. In honor of her memory, the WBCA presents the Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award each year to a member collegiate coach who best reflects Eckman’s character traits of courage, ethical behavior, honesty, sportsmanship and commitment to the student-athlete.
Named in honor of the late legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt, the WBCA each year presents the Pat Summitt Trophy to the Coach of the Year in each of the six membership divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, two-year college and high school.
The Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award is named in honor of the late Maggie Dixon, former Army head coach, whose success during her inaugural year at the Black Knights’ helm was remarkable. Dixon was named 2006 Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading Army to the conference title and its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament appearance. Dixon passed away on April 6, 2006, just a few weeks following the Black Knights’ appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The spirit of Maggie Dixon lives on through this award whose recipients, in their first year as an NCAA Division I head coach, have demonstrated on-court success and enriched the lives of those around them.
The WBCA Thirty Under 30 special recognition program was established to honor 30 of the up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches age 30 and under in the sport at all levels of the game.
The WBCA Victory Club recognizes WBCA member head coaches who reach milestones of 200, 300, 400, 500 or more career victories on a single level of competition (club, high school, college, pro), in 100-win increments during the season just ended. Each Victory Club honoree receives a plaque commemorating the milestone. All honorees are recognized during the WBCA National Convention.