Nominations are being accepted for the 2026 Larry Luitjens Coach of Influence Award. 

The Larry Luitjens Coach of Influence Award recognizes a girls basketball coach and a boys basketball coach each season. The award’s objective is to pay tribute to Luitjens and honor coaches that stood for his core coaching values.

Luitjens, South Dakota’s all-time basketball coaching wins leader with 748, was a legend in high school sports. Luitjens' career spanned four decades, during which time he guided his teams to 17 state tournaments, 13 state championship games and seven state titles.

Luitjens, who died in 2023, coached De Smet to two State B and Custer to five State A boys basketball titles.

Nominations may be made by anyone – including school personnel, students, coaches, or members of the public.

To nominate:   

• Download, Complete and Return the attached PDF nomination form to its247ministries@gmail.com, OR,

• Visit www.LuitjensAward.com to complete a Google Form nomination 

Nominations are due at the end of the day on Feb. 14, 2026. Honorees will be recognized and presented with their award at one of our state basketball tournaments this March. If you completed a nomination for a coach in a previous year who was not selected, please note that those nominations will be carried over for consideration again this year.