Curtis Ekmark of Saint Mary’s High School was named the 2013 Russell Athletic/WBCA National High School Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Ekmark guided Saint Mary’s to a 29-1 overall record, a 14-0 mark and sixth straight region championship, and its third straight Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship. The Knights are ranked second in the nation in the USA Today High School Sports Super 25 Poll. Saint Mary’s averaged 65.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to a 31.9 average.
During his six years as head coach of Saint Mary’s, Ekmark has tallied a 154-21 record, including a perfect 30-0 season during the 2011-12 academic year, in which the Knights won the 5A-1 Arizona state championship and the USA Today, Maxpreps and ESPN/Powerade National Championship.
Saint Mary’s earned its fifth state championship the previous season, as the Knights finished 28-2 on the year. With the three-peat, Saint Mary’s became the first school in Arizona history to win three straight state championships in the highest classification.
Ekmark was named the USA Today, Maxpreps and Naismith Girls Basketball High School Coach of the Year in 2012.
Curtis will attend the NCAA Women’s Final Four in New Orleans, where he will be presented the 2013 Russell Athletic/WBCA National High School Coach of the Year award. He will coach in the WBCA High School All-America Game presented by NIKE, which showcases the nation’s 20 best senior players. The game, which will be played at 4:30 p.m. central time on Saturday, April 6, in the New Orleans Arena, is part of the 2013 WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
