The John R. Wooden Coach of the Year, commonly known as the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, is an annual college basketball award presented to the top men's basketball coach in the Pac-12 Conference. The winner is selected by conference coaches, who are not allowed to vote for themselves. Former Arizona coach Lute Olson won the award a record seven times. It was first awarded in 1976, when the conference consisted of eight teams and was known as the Pacific-8, before becoming the Pacific-10 after expanding in 1978. Two more teams were added in 2011, when the conference became the Pac-12. The award was known as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year Award when it was renamed in John Wooden's honor following his death in June 2010. Wooden coached the UCLA Bruins for 27 years while winning a record 10 national championships, including seven straight. He retired in 1975, the year before the award began.

Robert Luther "Lute" Olson was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats men's team for 25 years. He was also head coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes for nine years and Long Beach State 49ers for one season. Known for player development and great recruiting, many of his former players have gone on to have impressive careers in the NBA. On October 23, 2008, Olson announced his retirement from coaching. Olson died on August 27, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 85 years old.