Grosse Pointe North girls basketball coach Gary Bennett has been selected for the 2026 John Wooden Legacy Award, a national honor recognizing one boys coach and one girls coach per state.
The National High School Basketball Coaches Association presents the award in partnership with the John Wooden family and the Wooden Foundation, according to a Grosse Pointe North athletics announcement. It recognizes coaches’ contributions in basketball, education and community service.
The selection criteria emphasize education, longevity, character, service and excellence, according to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.
Bennett learned of the honor at North’s Homecoming pep assembly, where the announcement caught him off guard, the school’s student newspaper, North Pointe Now, reported Oct. 16.
He described it as “the highest and most meaningful honor that somebody could get” as a high school basketball coach.
A 1971 North graduate, Bennett was hired in 1983 to teach math and coach the girls basketball team at his alma mater. He taught math for 30 years and continues to lead the varsity girls program. BCAM inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2014, according to the school’s athletics announcement.
Bennett credited former players, assistant coaches, family members and players’ parents and grandparents for their contributions to his career, North Pointe Now reported.
Former player Eva Borowski told the student newspaper that Bennett emphasized persistence and effort. Senior Aakanksha Nagori highlighted his focus on growth and hard work rather than winning alone.
Ed Douma, Bennett’s basketball coach at Alma College, said he has followed his former player’s coaching career. He praised Bennett’s ability to unite people toward a shared goal “and do it with grace and dignity.”
