SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Feb. 27 the winners of the 2019 Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball.
This year’s recipients are coaches Bill Krueger formerly of Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, and Frank Orlando of Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan.
The award, which is given annually to a high school boys and girls basketball coach, is named after Morgan Wootten, the legendary coach at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland for 46 years and is one of four high school coaches enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to annually recognize high school coaches who have used their platforms to improve the lives of their student-athletes,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Morgan Wootten was an outstanding high school coach and community leader, and the two coaches we recognize today have proven similar dedication in their nearly 40-year head coaching careers.”
Both award winners are winners on and off the court.
During Krueger’s his 39-year boys’ coaching career, Krueger compiled more than 1,000 wins with a winning percentage of 81.4%. He retired in 1996 as the nation’s winningest coach.His teams accumulated 30 or more wins in 18 seasons and never had a losing season. Krueger guided three Texas public high schools to the state tournament, winning state championships in 1965 and 1989 and also captured 29 district titles.
Orlando, who is the current girls’ coach at Detroit Country Day, has guided the program for nearly four decades. At DCD, Orlando has accumulated a Michigan state record 13 state championships.
In all, his teams have garnered 18 appearances in the state finals, 30 district championships, and 24 regional championships. Orlando been honored as the Michigan State Coach of the Year 5 times, National Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2018.
“Bill Kruger and Frank Orlando are truly deserving of this award, after dedicating nearly four decades to the game and future generations,” said Wootten, the award’s namesake and five-time High School National Champion. “While victories are important, there is a greater value placed on the impact coaches make on players that carry on to their future endeavors and I applaud them for their efforts.”
The 2019 Morgan Wootten Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball will be presented at the Basketball Hall of Fame Luncheon on March 27 at the Hilton Atlanta (Ga.) on the same day as the McDonald’s All-American Games.
