Brett Bricker, the University of Kansas’ head debate coach, won the Ross K. Smith Debate Coach of the Year award at the National Debate Tournament.
He also received the Excellence in Coaching Award and the Judge of the Year Award from the American Debate Association earlier this month.
“These awards are a testament not only to Brett’s excellence as a coach but of his commitment to helping his students be the best people they can be,” Scott Harris, the David B. Pittaway Director of KU Debate, said in a news release. “I believe that Brett is the best debate coach in the country.”
As a KU student, Bricker won the National Debate Tournament in 2009. He netted more individual wins than any other student in the program’s history.
Bricker has been a member of the KU coaching staff since 2010 and the head coach since 2014. Over the last 13 years, Bricker has coached three teams that won the NDT; two regular season ranking champions; three NDT top individual speakers, and many more NDT-ranking teams.
He is the third KU coach to win the Ross K. Smith Debate Coach of the Year award, following Donn Pason and Harris.
Student news
The tournament kicked off Thursday and will run through Sunday, March 29 at the University of Houston.
At the opening awards ceremony, a KU team with seniors Rose Larson and Luna Schultz tied with a University of Michigan team as second-ranked teams in the country for the regular season. The teams were chosen by the NDT Ranking Committee.
Three KU teams, including Larson and Schultz, are competing in this year’s NDT.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
