ATLANTA (March 3, 2022) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club today announced that Tamika Dudley of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, and Luke Barnwell of Sunrise Academy in Bel Aire, KS, have been named winners of the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Girls and Boys Coach of the Year Awards, respectively.
“Tamika and Luke have coached their teams to great success this season and have served as leaders and mentors to their players,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Through strong leadership and steady guidance, they have displayed the qualities of a Jersey Mike’s Naismith Coach of the Year Award winner, leaving a lasting positive impact on their players and in their communities.”
Dudley led Sidwell Friends to the nation’s top-ranked high school girls’ basketball program. The Quakers were also ranked No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter’s NEXT Top 25 ranking. Going undefeated this season (23-0), Dudley’s leadership earned the No. 1-ranked Quakers a victory at the 2022 Girls Basketball Invitational.
“When I started coaching, I never could have imagined I would be considered for such an honor,” said Dudley. “To be selected as the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year from all the amazing coaches across the country who work tirelessly to cultivate and shape the lives of young athletes is a blessing. None of this would be possible without the amazing players I’ve had the opportunity to coach and who have helped me grow, the parents who have trusted me to coach their daughters, the Sidwell Friends community who chose me to lead and have supported my vision for the program over the past three years and the Woodbridge high school community where I started my coaching career. Most importantly my family and my daughter, Kendall, who has shared her mom with so many amazing young athletes over the years. Thank you to the Naismith committee. I am honored and grateful.”
In his seventh year as head coach at Sunrise Christian Academy, Barnwell led his team to a 24-1 season. The Buffaloes were the inaugural NIBC Champions with a defeat over IMG Academy. The season also led to top-ranked honors in both the SBLive and Sports Illustrated Power 25 rankings. Barnwell, who also won the award last year, is one of only three men to win this award multiple times.
“I am completely humbled by the honor of the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year,” said Barnwell. “The heart of basketball was for Dr. Naismith to disciple young men, and I am blessed God allows me to continue the same work many years later. I share this award with an amazing staff of coaches and players. My first thought after winning the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year in consecutive years was, ‘Wow, God. I don’t deserve this.’ This is truly a direct reflection of players who have selflessly worked extremely hard, a coaching staff that is all in, a school that fully supports our team and God’s blessing and favor on my life.”
First presented in 2008, the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coach of the Year is voted on by a select group of basketball journalists from around the country who form the Naismith Awards national high school voting academy. The selections are based on outstanding coaching performances during the 2021-22 high school basketball season.
“On behalf of Jersey Mike’s and our franchise owners throughout the country, we congratulate Tamika and Luke for being selected as the winners of this year’s Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Coaches of the Year,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “Their commitment to excellence and to their players was on full display this season and their schools and local communities should be very proud.”
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 Jersey Mike’s 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 Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
Jersey Mike’s Subs, with more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike’s local communities is reflective in its mission statement “Giving…making a difference in someone’s life.” For more information, please visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com).
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Media Contact:
Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
706-816-6022