The Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award was presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to an NCAA Division I men's college basketball player who was a senior and who had demonstrated outstanding character, leadership, integrity, humility, sportsmanship and talent, similar to the fictional Chip Hilton character depicted by Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee in the classic Chip Hilton series of sports stories. It was first awarded in 1996–97 and discontinued after the 2010–11 season.
Winners
Season Player School Reference 1996–97 Wake Forest 1997–98 Navy 1998–99 Harvard 1999–00 Oklahoma 2000–01 Duke 2001–02 Maryland 2002–03 Butler 2003–04 UConn 2004–05 Texas Tech 2005–06 Syracuse 2006–07 Texas A&M 2007–08 Butler 2008–09 Washington 2009–10 New Mexico 2010–11 Hofstra Okafor graduated as a finance major in only three years. He was a senior academically in 2003–04, but was still considered a junior as it related to his athletic eligibility.
See also Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award – equivalent award presented to an NCAA Division I men's basketball head coach, sponsored by the NABC
References