Alabama A&M men’s basketball coach Otis Hughley Jr. picked up some national recognition on Wednesday.

Hughley was one of four coaches to receive a Guardians of the Game pillar award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, claiming the award for inclusion.

The awards are presented each year at the NABC Convention to coaches, administrators and contributors who embody the NABC’s core values of leadership, service, education, advocacy, and inclusion.

Other award winners include Purdue coach Matt Painter, LSU-Shreveport head coach Kyle Blankenship, Chapman head coach Dan Krikorian and NABC International Committee chair Alan Lambert.

“The NABC Guardians of the Game platform showcases the impact coaches make beyond Xs and Os,” NABC executive director Craig Robinson said in a release. “Each of this year’s recipients have left their own unique mark on and off the court, and I thank them for living out the NABC’s core values and serving as role models for our profession.”

Alabama A&M’s men are currently 10-19 overall and 6-10 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, set to face Grambling State on Thursday before closing out the regular season on the road against Southern.

The SWAC men’s basketball tournament is set to begin on March 12 in Atlanta.

Hughley, who has been at Alabama A&M since 2022, was also named the head coach of the Senegal Women’s National Team and will lead the team in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket competition.

Along with previously coaching the Nigeria women’s national team, he coached in Spain and China.

Before taking over at Alabama A&M, he served as the head coach at LeFlore from 2004-2010 as he compiled a 185-20 record and a Class 6A state title in 2007.

Most notably, he coached four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, with those teams from 2007-2009 going 59-6; he would later follow Cousins and serve as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.

He’s also served as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors (2011-2012), served as a scout for the Sacramento Kings, coached the Chinese Taipei Men’s and Women’s teams (2015-2016) and assisted with the Auburn women’s basketball team (2018-2019).