The Marcus Priddy Award was established in honor of the late Shawnee Mission West girl's basketball coach and GABL summer league staff member. The award recognizes a current coach (youth, high school or college) who is making a positive difference in the lives of his or her players.
2019 Recipient - Gary Brown
 | Gary Brown is the 2019 recipient of the Marcus Priddy Award. Coach Gary has coached girls and boys youth basketball for over 30 years. He began coaching his own daughter in the late 1980s and has been coaching with the Eclipse Basketball Club for over 15 years and currently serves as the club's Recruiting Coordinator. He spends countless hours on the phone checking up on current and former players, advising, coaching, listening and building their confidence.
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2018 Recipient - Rocky Lamar
2017 Recipient-Mark Quandt
| Mark Quandt is the 2017 recipient of the Marcus Priddy Award and is a 2017 inductee into the GABL Court of Honor. Mark began his coaching career in 1982 with his nephew's 3rd grade basketball team. From 1996-2002, he coached both son's teams in basketball and baseball. In 2002, he began coaching the sons of friends and family, and later began coaching teams needing a coach with his son, Matt. He was nominated in both 2016 and 2017 as a Coach of Character by parents on his team. He also officiates in the sports of basketball, baseball, football and volleyball at the high school level. |
2016 Recipient-Sean Reilly
 | Sean Reilly is the 2016 recipient of the Marcus Priddy Award. Coach Reilly has been the varsity boy's basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School since 2002. Prior to Aquinas, he coached at several area high school and colleges, including DeSoto High School, Johnson County Community College and Shawnee Mission North. He currently serves as the Mission Coordinator for students at Aquinas, on the Board of Directors for the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association and is a member of the Virtual Education Advisory Council for the State of Kansas. |
All-Time Honorees
2004 - John McFall
John McFall was head boy's basketball coach at Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission West and Olathe South High Schools. His Olathe South teams won state championships in 1997 and 2004. He was the Kansas State 6A Coach of the Year both of those years. He won the Eddie Ryan Award presented by the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association in 1992.
2005 - Phil Carr
Phil Carr was a long-time coach in GABL. He began coaching in the league in 1977 and had just completed his 28th year of coaching when he received this award. Phil also coached the Shawnee Mission South freshman boys team from 1997-2003. He was always willing to share his expertise with other coaches as a clinician and mentor.
2006 - Ron Millard
Ron Millard became the girl's basketball coach at Shawnee Mission South when the program began in 1975. Fifteen of his teams advanced to the state tournament and the 1995 team won the Class 6A championship. He is a member of the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association (GKCBCA) Hall of Fame and received the Eddie Ryan Award in 2006.
2007 - Larry Holley
Larry Holley became the men’s basketball coach at William Jewell College in 1979. He has coached numerous NAIA All-Americans and NAIA Academic All-Americans. He was the first NAIA coach to receive the prestigious Sears/NABC NAIA Coach of the Year Award. Larry has been inducted into several Halls of Fame including the NAIA Hall of Fame. The basketball court at William Jewell has been named in his honor.
2008 - Bruce Nixon
Bruce Nixon began coaching in GABL in 1989. At that time, he did not have a child on the team but offered his time and talent anyway. It was not until 2004-05 that Bruce’s son began to play in GABL and Bruce began to coach that team. In 1990, he began the Flames Basketball Camp. He also has worked at other basketball camps, including the University of Kansas camp.
2008 - Charles Shrewsbury
Charles Shrewsbury began coaching youth basketball in the late 1950’s because a group of boys from Boy Scouts had an interest in playing the game. He began coaching in GABL shortly after the league was formed in 1974. As a coach for 50-some years, Charlie eventually helped former players coach their sons’ teams. He is a member of the GABL Court of Honor and received the inaugural GABL “Making a Difference” Award in 2004.
2009 - Steve Ingram
Steve Ingram is probably best known for guiding the Olathe South girl's basketball program, but he also has coached football, volleyball, cross country and track. In 2010, Olathe South won the Kansas 6A championship. Steve received his second Eddie Ryan Award from the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association and was named National Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
2011 - Ben Meseke
Ben Meseke was a head boy's basketball coach for 34 years. In 13 years at Shawnee Mission Northwest, he recorded more wins than any other coach of the Cougars. At Hayden High School in Topeka, Meseke’s teams went to 13 state tournaments and won six state championships. For good measure, Ben coached the cross-country team to six state championships. He was inducted into the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011. Ben retired from coaching at the end of the 2010-11 season.
2012 - Terry English
Terry English collected his 700th win in December 2011, his response was that the victory was "a nice win for the program, for the school, for all the kids who've played." All the girls who have played varsity basketball at Bishop Miege High School have played for Coach English. He started the program in 1976-77. His teams have won 23 Eastern Kansas League championships and 16 state championships. He has received numerous coaching accolades, including the Eddie Ryan Award from the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association (GKCBCA) and the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award 11 times. He was inducted into the GKCBCA Hall of Fame in 2001. Terry is a graduate of Bishop Miege and Rockhurst University, where he played basketball for four years. In addition to coaching, he has been a Physical Education teacher at Bishop Miege since 1976-77.
2013 - Sue Chipman
Sue Chipman just finished her 27th year as an assistant girl's basketball coach at SM East. Chipman also serves as the head varsity coach for both boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. Chipman’s tennis teams have won 10 State Championships under her guidance, the most recent girls title in 2012. This is her 50th year of teaching. While she is retiring from teaching at the end of the school year, she plans to continue her coaching career at SM East. Sue’s former players and colleagues describe her as unselfish, humble, positive, patient, having a great work ethic, and a 1st class person.
2015 - Jim Super
Jim Super, Olathe East High School boy's basketball coach, and Bill Nicks, referee, former Lenexa Parks and Recreation director and historical re-enactor, will be among the honorees at the 2015 Sonic GABL Youth Sports Foundation Honors Program. The program will be held Sunday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at the Thompson Barn (formerly the Lenexa Conference Center). In honor of GABL's 40th anniversary, the Program will include special recognition of the organization's most significant corporate partners, the Founders, previous commissioners, and recently retired board members.