ATLANTA, Ga. – On Tuesday, the Atlanta Tipoff Club (ATOC) named former Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year winners Tubby Smith and Tara VanDerveer as the 2026 Naismith Outstanding Contributors to Basketball Award recipients, honoring their extraordinary and lasting impact on the game.

Smith was a four-year starter on the High Point University men's basketball team from 1969-1973 and returned as the head coach of the Panthers from 2018-2022. As a player, he is HPU's seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,589 career points and earned All-Carolina Conference honors as a senior. Smith was inducted into the High Point University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and had the Qubein Center court dedicated to him and his wife —The Tubby & Donna Smith Court — in 2021.

"I'm grateful for the Naismith Award and honored to be recognized along with Coach VanDerveer and to be included among so many legendary previous awardees," Smith said. "I feel blessed to have had an incredible career leading, coaching, and teaching great young men at top institutions. I hope that the lessons that I taught will continue to impact them, both on and off the court and throughout their lives."

The ATOC's Board of Directors selected Smith for his legendary coaching career at the University of Kentucky and other collegiate programs. Both honorees will be formally recognized at the 2026 NCAA Final Four.

"The Naismith Award annually recognizes those who have left a meaningful legacy on both athletes and supporters, genuinely representing what basketball stands for," said Eric Oberman, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "We're honored to celebrate Tara and Tubby, who devoted themselves to building and elevating the sport. Earning a Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award is outstanding, but receiving acknowledgment years later for your enduring legacy is truly remarkable."

Established in 1982, the Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball Award annually celebrates individuals whose extraordinary dedication has created meaningful and enduring benefits for the sport. Award recipients demonstrate strong moral character, unwavering principles, and distinguished conduct while driving significant advancement in basketball's development and long-term success.

Tubby Smith Through the Coaching Ranks:

• As the head coach at High Point, Memphis, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tulsa, Smith finished his career with a 642-370 record, making him one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of men's college basketball.
• In 1998, in his first season at Kentucky, Smith led the Wildcats to their seventh NCAA National Championship, becoming only the third coach to win a national title in his first year at a school in the modern era.
• During his 10 seasons at Kentucky, Smith amassed a 263-83 record, leading the Wildcats to five SEC regular-season championships, five SEC Tournament titles, four Elite Eight appearances, and 10 NCAA Tournament berths.
• Smith is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to lead five different programs to the NCAA Division I Tournament (Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Texas Tech), demonstrating his remarkable ability to build and transform programs.
• Named the Werner Ladder Men's Naismith Coach of the Year (2003) and six-time conference coach of the year (MVC 1994, 1995; SEC 1998, 2003, 2005; Big 12 2016)
• In 2000, Smith served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team that won the gold medal in Sydney, Australia.
• Smith led his teams to 20 postseason appearances as a head coach, including nine Sweet Sixteen and four Elite Eight trips. 

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