The Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award is presented annually to a member of the college or professional basketball community who lives out qualities exemplified by Coach John Wooden: outstanding character, integrity, and leadership on the court, in the work place, in the home, and in the community. The award was established in 1998 and was named for head coach John Wooden, who coached at UCLA for 27 years, compiling 620 wins in 767 games. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

William Joseph Kennedy Jr. is an American basketball coach who last served as an assistant coach for Wichita State University men's basketball team. Previously, Kennedy was the head coach of the Texas A&M University men's basketball team. He took over the position vacated by Mark Turgeon in May 2011. Prior to this, he held the same position at Murray State University for five seasons. Kennedy previously held the same position at Centenary and Southeastern Louisiana. He has served 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach and 13 as an assistant.