ATLANTA (March 13, 2019) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club today announced that Ochiel Swaby of Miami Country Day School in Miami, Florida, and Mike Thompson of McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, have been named winners of the 2019 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Girls’ and Boys’ Coach of the Year Awards, respectively.
“Ochiel and Mike have coached their teams to great success and have a lasting positive impact on their players and in the community,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Through strong leadership and steady guidance, they have displayed all the qualities of a Naismith Coach of the Year Award winner.”
In his 15th season, Swaby coached the Spartans to a 26-1 record and a sixth straight state championship. He also guided his team to wins in the Naples Holiday Shootout and the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Arizona, this season. With a career record of 337-92, Swaby looks to continue his team’s tournament success at the GEICO High School Nationals in New York City next month.
“The Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year Award is less about me,” said Swaby. “It solidifies what my players have accomplished this year.”
Thompson has coached the top-ranked Indians to a 32-0 record thus far, and he looks to continue his undefeated season as his team also heads to New York City for the GEICO High School Nationals. With wins at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Missouri, and the state championship, Thompson would be the first public school coach to win the national title in the 10-year history of the tournament. He has a record of 270-57 in his 11 seasons with McEachern.
“To be named the Naismith High School Coach of the Year is an honor that must be shared by my assistant coaches, players and staff,” said Thompson. “There are so many deserving coaches around the country, so I’m very proud to be one of those coaches. I want to thank the Atlanta Tipoff Club, the Naismith voting academy and Jersey Mike’s for this great honor.”
First presented in 2008, the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year is awarded by a select group of basketball journalists from around the country who form the Naismith Awards national high school voting academy. The selections were based on outstanding coaching performances during the 2018-19 high school basketball season.
“Jersey Mike’s is proud to sponsor the Naismith Awards for high school sports and honor outstanding coaches like Ochiel and Mike,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “High school coaches help lead talented players to excel in sports and in life.”
For more information, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Bona, Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
Jersey Mike’s, a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with more than 2,000 locations open and under development nationwide, believes that making a sub sandwich and making a difference can be one and the same. Jersey Mike’s offers A Sub Above®, serving authentic fresh sliced subs on freshly baked bread – the same recipe it started with in 1956 – and is passionate about giving back to its local communities. For more information, please visit www.jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jerseymikes) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/jerseymikes).
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Media Contact:
Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
404-214-3596