NJCAA honors MVP, small player awards in men’s tournament tradition

Terry Copeland of Howard won the William B. French MVP Award, Josiah Kirkwood of Butler took the Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award, and Kyle Cooper of Howard was named Coach of the Tournament as the NJCAA kept its championship week focused on more than wins and losses. The 2025-26 awards also went to College of Southern Idaho for the Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award, a list that shows how the tournament elevates individual production, role value and conduct on its biggest stage.

The William B. French award remains the flagship individual honor, presented by the Sons of the American Legion to the player judged outstanding on sportsmanship, ability and overall performance. It carries the name of Bill French, an NJCAA All-American at Hutchinson who also made the 1960 All-Tournament team, and the association notes that French and his wife, Mary Kay, died in an automobile accident in 1968. That history gives the MVP trophy a personal link to Hutchinson’s tournament past as well as its present.

The Bud Obee award puts a different kind of value on display. Named for V.C. "Bud" Obee, who directed the tournament during its first 24 years in Hutchinson, the honor goes to the player who shows character, leadership and loyalty, with special consideration given to defensive ability. NJCAA’s rules add a hard line that makes the point even clearer: eligible players must be no taller than 6 feet 1 inch. In a sport often measured by scoring totals and size, the award keeps the spotlight on players who win possessions and guard their position.

The Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award and the Coach of the Tournament trophy extend that message from the floor to the sideline. The Sesher award was initiated in 1966 for the player who shows the best sportsmanship toward teammates, coaches, opponents and officials. Charles Sesher served as Hutchinson athletic director for 26 years and attended the first NJCAA men’s championship in Springfield, Missouri, in 1948. The coach award has been presented by the Hutchinson Rotary Club since 1959 and is based on sportsmanship and the performance and success of a coach’s players, not preseason reputation.

That framework has been part of the championship since the event moved from Springfield’s Southwest Missouri State Fieldhouse to Hutchinson in 1949. Hutchinson has hosted the Division I men’s tournament every year since then, and the current championship schedule lists the 2026 event for March 21-28 at Hutchinson Sports Arena. The 2024-25 awards, with Zati Loubaki of Trinity Valley, DJ Dormu of Connors State, Panola and Greg Heiar, showed how quickly the names change while the standards stay fixed.