McGraw, Wright and Walker Claim Lapchick Character Awards

Guru: Note — Andy Lipton, who provided us with videos and and reports from the WNBA New York Liberty this past summer was on the scene last week provides this coverage from the Lapchick Character Award and if you go to the Guru’s twitter account @womhoopsguru there will be two video clips covering pieces of Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw’s acceptance speech.

By Andy Lipton

NEW YORK -

This past Friday afternoon at a luncheon at the Yale Club in New York City,  the Joe Lapchick Character Award Foundation gave its annual Lapchick Character Awards to Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Coach Muffet McGraw, the late Dr. Solly Walker, who in 1951 was the first African –American to play basketball for St. John’s University, and Villanova Men’s Basketball Coach Jay Wright.

The Foundation’s Leadership Award was given to Dan Sacco, one of the co-founders of the Foundation, who has served as chairperson, and continues to be an integral part of the Foundation.

McGraw coached her Irish and Wright his Wildcats to respective NCAA women’s and men’s titles last season.

It was announced at the luncheon that going forward, the Leadership Award would be named the Lapchick Foundation Jim O’Connell Leadership Award in memory of  the late beloved and renowned Associated Press sportswriter. 

OC, as O’Connell was called, had been a big part of the Foundation.

The Character Awards are in memory of the legacy of Joe Lapchick, a star basketball player and revered basketball coach at St. John’s and of the New York Knicks, and they honor those in the game of basketball who have carried on his legacy.

It was an afternoon that reminded people of what is good and right (no pun intended) in college basketball.

Talking about good and right, the late Dr. Solly Walker after graduation from St. John’s, started a career with the New York City Board of Education, first as a teacher and then as a principal.  

He taught, mentored and inspired countless young people in his schools and in his Brooklyn community.