Steve Green named Texas Association of Basketball Coaches NJCAA Coach of the Year

LEVELLAND—South Plains College head basketball coach Steve Green is no stranger to post-season awards.

Green just completed his 17th season at the helm of the Texans program in 2016, leading his squad to a 32-2 overall record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The decorated coach captured his seventh WJCAC title at South Plains thanks to a 16-0 mark in league play.

Green added one more accolade to his growing list on Thursday as he was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches NJCAA Coach of the Year. The award honors the top coach in the state of Texas amongst all NJCAA programs.

"Steve led South Plains to a No. 1 national ranking basically all year long, and this award is just another one in his illustrious career," men's college basketball representative Scott Schumacher said. "If you're winning a lot of games like Steve does you're doing a lot of things right, and a lot of this award is based on the mentorship and leadership shown towards the players."

Green is a seven-time WJCAC Coach of the Year recipient and has been named the NJCAA Coach of the Year twice, leading the Texans to two national titles during his tenure in Levelland. Green has won the Region seven times, five of those while at South Plains, and has amassed an overall coaching record of 588-158. Green is one of just six head coaches to lead his team to a national title and an unbeaten record when he won his second national crown in 2012, guiding the Texans to a perfect 36-0 season.

"Coach Green is always on our list and definitely deserves this award," TABC Executive Director Rick Sherley said. "It seems like I see his name as a candidate for this award almost every year, and the job he has down there at South Plains is remarkable. Coach Green has done so much for junior college basketball, and with the season he had this year, this is just another accomplishment for him and his program."