LETTER OF RECOGNITION FOR THE BASKETBALL TROPHY AWARD

[November 21, 2008] On behalf of the Joe Lapchick Character Award Committee, I want to express our appreciation to you and Dreamcatcher Global for all your efforts and work on the actual [trophy] awards and delivery of them. At the luncheon this week the [trophy] awards stood out and attendee after attendee remarked at the beauty of them. We cannot thank you enough for taking a concept and idea combined with a few pictures and creating such a striking [trophy] award.

The [trophy] awards were presented at a luncheon at Madison Square Garden to Coaches Dean Smith, Lou Carnesecca, and Pat Summitt. They were then presented that evening on the Madison Square Garden floor at halftime of the first game of The Coaches vs. Cancer Kick Off Classic. It was shown later on ESPN and I can tell you the [trophy] awards looked terrific. The fourth [trophy] award is headed to Springfield and the Basketball Hall of Fame.

We look forward to a long and continued relationship with you and Dreamcatcher Global. Thank you for your guidance, patience, and dedication to getting this done. Best Wishes Always, Dan Sacco, President Lapchick Committee.

SUMMARY OF JOE LAPCHICK'S CAREER IN BASKETBALL

- Self-taught coach
- Basketball's most prominent elder statesmen
- A man who helped shepherd the game of basketball from the 1920's into the 1960's
- The first "big man" in basketball who earned more than $10,000
- The first coach of the New York Knicks
- Integrated professional black players (including Sweetwater Clifton, the first black member of the Knicks, who played for Lapchick)
- Two-time college Coach of the Year
- Remembered for the mentoring he provided for such coaches as Bob Knight, Lou Carnesecca, and Johnny Bach
- Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1966, twice.
- Coach of four National Championship teams at St. John's University

LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

After his forced retirement Lapchick turned to writing. In 1968 he authored "50 Years of Basketball", a book that was both a compilation of stories from Lapchick's early days as a player and an explanation of his coaching philosophy. From star player to successful coach to popular author, Joe Lapchick was an eminently influential figure who helped nurture the sport from its crude beginnings into its popular modern form.

Joe Lapchick died on August 10, 1970 of a heart attack in Monticello, New York, at age 70. The grave of Joe Lapchick is located at the Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers, NY.

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THE HALL OF FAME JOE LAPCHICK CHARACTER AWARD TROPHY

Page I - Custom Engraved Trophy Award Sculpting Services
Page II - Joe Lapchick Character Award Trophy Presentation
Page III - The Early Days of Professional Basketball Statue
Page IV - Racial Tolerance and Integrity in Basketball Award
Page V - Legendary Coaching Style of Coach Joe Lapchick
Page VI - Successful Basketball Coach of the NBA Knicks
Page VII - 2009 Joe Lapchick Character Award Winners
Page VII - Character in Basketball Engraved Trophy Award
Page IX - NBA and College Basketball Legend Award

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