INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Scott McConnell, the Assistant Athletic Director/Communications at the University of Texas who has represented men’s basketball teams there for nearly 27 years, has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Katha Quinn Award winner for 2025. McConnell will receive the award on April 7 in San Antonio at a luncheon before the national championship game.
McConnell, a 1993 graduate of the university whose career began as a student assistant at Texas, has been the primary men’s basketball contact throughout his time in Austin.
"Scott’s attention to detail, passion and outgoing nature is second to none,” said John Fanta of Fox Sports and NBC Sports, a USBWA board member. “He’s an outstanding SID. He handles situations so professionally and is a great human.”
Since 1988, the award has recognized sports information directors and administrators that have excelled at servicing the media or provide an inspiration to those in the sports journalism profession. In 1988, a then-unnamed award was presented to Quinn, the Sports Information Director at St. John’s University, in recognition of her extraordinary work overseeing the press operation at the 1987 Pan American Games despite a diagnosis of terminal liver cancer. She passed away in March 1989 at the age of 34.
The 35 previous winners include Roger Valdiserri of Notre Dame, Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, former USBWA executive director Joe Mitch and former NCAA officials Bill Hancock, Tom Jernstedt and Greg Shaheen.
"I am humbled and honored to receive the Katha Quinn Award from the USBWA membership,” McConnell said, “and I’m blessed to do so representing our entire communications staff and athletics department at The University of Texas.
“In her short time here with us, Katha Quinn did so much for our profession in terms of cultivating and building trusting relationships with the media. Despite the many changes in our industry since her passing in 1989, her passion for the relationship part of our profession still remains at the core of what we do on a daily basis.”
After serving one-year internships at the University of Florida and Stanford University, McConnell served as Assistant Media Relations Director at the University of Massachusetts when the Minutemen reached the 1996 Final Four. He was the primary men’s basketball contact in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
McConnell returned to Austin in August 1998, serving as Associate Media Relations Director for 10 years before he was promoted to his current position.
He has worked for leaders in the sports communications profession including Bill Little, Dave Saba and John Bianco at Texas, John Humenik at Florida, Gary Migdol at Stanford and Bill Strickland at Massachusetts.
The USBWA was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. The USBWA has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at malcolm@usbwa.com.
ALL-TIME KATHA QUINN AWARD WINNERS
1988 Katha Quinn, St. John’s University
1991 Marvin “Skeeter” Francis, Atlantic Coast Conference
1992 Tom Frericks, University of Dayton
1993 Roger Valdiserri, University of Notre Dame
1994 Marvin “Swede” Johnson, Coors Brewing Co.
1995 George Raveling, Washington State/USC
1996 Rick Brewer, University of North Carolina
1997 Craig Miller and Amy Early, USA Basketball
1998 Al Shrier, Temple University
1999 Bill Hancock, NCAA
2000 Tim Tolokan, University of Connecticut
2001 Mike Tranghese, Big East Conference
2002 Mark Asher, Washington Post
2003 Jack Watkins, Missouri Valley Conference
2004 Jim Marchiony, NCAA
2005 Steve Kirschner, University of North Carolina
2006 Wayne Duke, Big Ten Conference
2007 Joe Mitch, U.S. Basketball Writers Association
2008 Josh Krulewitz and Mike Soltys, ESPN
2009 John Paquette, Big East Conference
2010 Chris Fallon, National Invitation Tournament
2011 Oliver Pierce, Gonzaga University
2012 Kenny Klein, University of Louisville
2013 Greg Shaheen, NCAA
2014 Brian Morrison, Atlantic Coast Conference
2015 Tom Jernstedt, NCAA
2016 David Worlock, NCAA
2017 Bernie Cafarelli, American Athletic Conference
2018 Joe Castiglione, University of Oklahoma
2019 Mike Sheridan, Villanova University
2020 Jim Haney, NABC
2021 Doug Vance, University of Kansas, CoSIDA
2022 Bill Behrns, Loyola University
2023 Chuck Walsh, Florida State University
2024 Doug Tammaro, Arizona State University