SLCC coach earns prestigious honor

The National Junior College Athletic Association Men's Basketball Coaches Association has named Salt Lake Community College men's basketball coach Norm Parrish the NJCAA Coach of the Year.

Parrish led the Bruins to a 31-6 record and its first-ever NJCAA title.

"This is a big honor for me personally, for all of SLCC's athletic programs and for the college as a whole," Parrish said. "I appreciate the award, but the players really deserve the credit for buying into our system, playing hard, playing the right way and bringing this championship to Salt Lake Community College."

In his 18th season at SLCC, Parrish led the Bruins to the Region 18 tournament title and a second consecutive appearance in the NJCAA title game. SLCC improved on its runner-up finish last year by rallying from a 15-point deficit in the second half of the title contest to beat Midland (Texas) College for the 2009 NJCAA championship.

Prior to the title game, Parrish led Salt Lake past Chipola College, which had been ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive weeks in the regular season.

Parrish has 398 wins in his 18 years at SLCC. He has coached 10 NJCAA All-Americans and has had 16 Academic All-Americans come through his program. Of the roughly 200 players who have played for Coach Parrish since he became the head coach in 1991, 75 have moved on to the NCAA Division I ranks, including 2009 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and NCAA All-American Gary Wilkinson. Several of Parrish's former players currently play professionally overseas and in the NBA.