Two coaches to be honored for Christian leadership at Final Four

The Final Four is definitively about the action on the court and all the entertainment surrounding in the host city.

This year’s event in Indianapolis from April 3-5 falls on the same weekend as Easter Sunday. And while the importance of the holiday will not be diminished by basketball, two coaches will be honored at separate events for their commitment to their Christian faith during the weekend.

On Sat., April 3, Northern State University coach Don Meyer will be presented with the 2010 John Wooden Keys to Life Award.

Meyer had won the most games of any head coach in college hoops history prior to his retirement this year from Northern State, a Division II school in Aberdeen, S.D. Meyer has received national accolades for his courage after a serious car accident and inoperable cancer diagnosis.

The award was established in 1998 by Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Wooden is the legendary UCLA basketball coach of the 1960s and 1970s. He grew up in nearby Martinsville, Ind., and attended Purdue University.

The Keys To Life which the award are based upon are:

• Make each day your masterpiece
• Help others
• Be true to yourself
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
• Make friendship a fine art
• Build shelter against a rainy day
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day

The event, which takes place at 8:30 a.m. at the Indianapolis Convention Center, will be emceed by “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson and include CBS college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg and University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.

Additionally, FCA will honor Cleveland State coach Gary Waters with the 2010 John Lotz “Barnabas” Award at its FCA Coaches Luncheon at the Final Four.

Waters, head men’s basketball coach at Cleveland State University, has coached at the collegiate level for the last 35 years and has been a head coach at three university basketball programs. In the process, Waters has mentored countless young men from a Christian perspective. His impact has gone beyond the basketball court and into the lives of student-athletes who have strived to model Waters lifestyle of integrity.