NBA Coach of the Year Award
Scott was promoted from assistant to head coach of the Pistons on October 28, 1972, succeeding Earl Lloyd after a 2–5 start. Under his direction, the ballclub went 38–37 for the remainder of the 1972–73 campaign. He received the NBA Coach of the Year Award and become the first black man to win NBA coach of the year after guiding the Pistons to a then-franchise-best 52–30 regular season record in 1973–74. The team slumped to 40–42 in 1974–75. He was dismissed and replaced by assistant Herb Brown with the Pistons at 17–25 on January 26, 1976. He was appointed men's basketball head coach at Eastern Michigan University just over six weeks later on March 10, 1976. Over three seasons, he guided EMU to a 29–52 record. Eastern Michigan fired Scott in March 1979.