MCA ANNOUNCES DIVISION I BASKETBALL COACHES OF THE YEAR (2019-20)
(in alphabetical order)
(in alphabetical order)
The 40-year-old Gates, a Chicago native and former Florida State assistant, went to Northeast Ohio last July under rough circumstances: CSU had just fired head coach Dennis Felton after only two seasons and under a cloud of controversy, and multiple players had decided to transfer away from the school. The situation was seemingly hopeless, and the Vikings were picked to finish last in the Horizon League before the season began. However, Gates quickly put his stamp on the squad, and has so far led them to a respectable 11-20 overall record and a 7-11 mark in conference play (both their best in five years). Gates, who owns 16 years of Division I coaching experience, has spent the previous eight seasons on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State. Gates’ tenure at Florida State mirrored the Seminoles rise to national prominence. With Gates on the staff, the Seminoles played in four NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in both 2012 and 2019.
1.Charlton “CY” Young | Florida State
2. Jason Williford | Virginia
3. Ira Bowman | Auburn
4. Alvin Brooks III | Baylor
5. Orlando “Bino” Ransom | University of Maryland
Charlton “CY” Young is in his seventh season as an assistant coach on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State. Considered to be one of the superstar coaches in college basketball, Young’s career at Florida State has risen simultaneously with the Seminoles’ national profile. His coaching knowledge and incredible ability to teach the game has helped transform the Florida State into one of the most dynamic teams in all of college basketball.Through his first six seasons in Tallahassee, the Seminoles are one of the nation’s most disciplined teams –both offensively and defensively –in the nation. Florida State annually ranks among the nation’s top offensive anddefensive teams in all of college basketball.In his first six seasons at Florida State, Young has played a major role in helping the Seminoles win 139 games (an average of 23.2 games a season), 59 ACC games (an average of 9.8 conference wins per season) and play in five postseason tournaments including the 2017, 2018 and 2019 NCAA Tournaments. In 2019, he helped Florida State to a school-record 29 overall wins, a school-record 13 ACC wins, six wins over nationally ranked teams, the third appearance in school history in the ACC Tournament championship game and to a second consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Coupled with the Seminoles’ appearance in the Elite Eight of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the 2019 season marked only the secondtime in school history that Florida State had advanced to at least the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons. Young’s ability to identify and successfully recruit the nation’s top talent to Florida State is another significant factor why the Seminoles are in the national picture and contenders for the ACC Championship every year. He is a top-notch recruiter, as well as a coach, who can teach and coach the game as it is played by today’s superstar athletes. Young annually makes Florida State a big player for top-level recruits and his closing ability has helped the Seminoles land top-10 recruiting classes in each of his first four seasons in Tallahassee. Young has helped recruit three of the most powerful classes in school history including the Seminoles’ 2015 class which was ranked as the third best class in the nation.
(in alphabetical order)
1. Patrick Crarey | Washington Adventist
We have no idea what athletic directors at the NCAA D-1 and D-2 level are waiting for snatch up Coach Crarey. He has built Washington Adventist University into a National power from the ground up. He begins his 11th season at WAU as his 2016-17 campaign, Crarey led the team to a historic season which included winning the 2017 Association of Independent Institutions Championship. It was the second NAIA Championship since 1992. The team earned back-to-back appearances at the NAIA National Tournament. The Shock finished the season 22-7 and garnished several accolades. Crarey, garnished his 100th career win and became the all-time winningest coach in WAU history. In addition, four players reached their 1000th career points under Crarey's guidance. 2019-20 team went 23-9 and 12-1 at home. More amazing is Coach Crarey’s team defeated two NCAA D-1 programs (Howard and Delaware State) on the road. He’s accumulated 78 wins in the last 4 seasons. Crarey is also the athletic director at WAU.
2.Brian Dunlap | Harris Stowe
Brian Dunlap is one of the most underrated coaches in America. In four years he has an overall 81-46 record with three AMC men’s basketball tournament Championships. 2017-18 witnessed one of the best statistical season in Hornets history. They completed the season 23-11, which included 19 conference wins. They finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally in blocks per game, rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and finished #1 in the country in total blocks. 2019-20 saw the Hornets season get cut short due to COVID-19. The Hornets completed the season 23-9 winning another AMC championship and the emergence of Deshawn Munson took NAIA by storm as he nearly averaged a triple double for the season. Munson was a 1st team All American, far more impressive is Dunlap is doing all this with only 3 full scholarships.
3. Jason James | Allen University
Jason James begins his fourth season as the helm of the Yellow Jackets mens program. With minimal scholarships he’s increased the win total in each of his first three seasons looking to crack the 20 win mark in 20-21. His 2019-20 team concluded the season 17-12 with a 12-2 mark at home. The Yellow Jackets defeated 2 top 20 teams last season Voorhee’s(20) and Union College(19). James was the women’s coach for 3 seasons. The 2015-16 A.I.I. Coach of the Year led the Lady Yellow Jackets to their first A.I.I. Conference Championship and the first in the Women's Program in just his second year. The Lady Yellow Jackets finished 19-12 last season after only winning nine games the previous year.
4. Derrick Mitchell | Wiley College
5. Fred Summers | Edward Waters
6. Alfred Williams | Xavier of LA
The 2019-20 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year begins his 5th year at the helm. Sporting a 79-49 career record as XULA his accomplishments are extensive. He has won two GCAC regular-season championships: 2017-18, 2019-20, one GCAC Tournament championship: 2019-20 — the Gold Rush's first GCAC Tournament championship since the 1995-96 season. Qualified twice for NAIA National Championship tournaments: 2017-18, 2019-20. Finished No. 10 in the final NAIA Division I top 25 coaches poll of 2019-20. XULA has amassed 13 victories against top-25 opponents, seven in 2019-20 with Williams as the head coach and six of his student athletes have received NAIA All-America citations, including William Loyd on the second team in 2019-20.
Wiley College got a steal when they hired Coach Mitchell from Voorhees College. He joins the Wildcats after spending the last six years as head coach at Voorhees College (S.C.). In his second season in 2015-16, he guided Voorhees, which competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II, to 21 wins after winning 14 in his first. The program continued to rise with NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship appearances in 2018 and 2019 and American Independent Institution Titles in 2017 and 2019. In six seasons, Mitchell led Voorhees to 114 victories. Last season, Mitchell’s squad led the NAIA in steals per game and turnover margin. It was sixth in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage and 13th in offensive rebounds per game. Prior to Voorhees, Mitchell was an assistant coach at Southern Arkansas University’s women’s basketball team. He helped it win 12 games – which was more than the previous three seasons combined - and reach the conference tournament for the first time since 2006-07. Look for Mitchell to continue that success at Wiley.
Summers spent one season in the same role at Talladega College. In his lone season, Summers led the Tornadoes to a 21-11 overall record and an 8-4 mark against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference competition. For his efforts at Talledgea, he was chosen by his coaching peers as the 2017-18 GCAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. Prior to his time at Talladega, he was the head coach at Concordia College-Alabama. At CCA, he led the Hornets to four straight United States Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament appearances. He developed eleven All-Americans, (five first-team, six-second team) and off the court he mentored four Academic All-Americans all while leading his program to a 2015-16 National Runner-Up finish and eventually winning the 2016-17 National Championship.Summers completed his five-year stint at CCA as the winningest coach in Men’s Basketball program history with a record of 82-56.
(in alphabetical order)
Anderson’s regular-season accomplishments have resulted in an impressive and unprecedented string of nine NCAA tournament bids in the past `` seasons, highlighted by a Final Four run as a national semi-finalist in 2012. In addition, he is the only coach in the program’s history to lead MIT to a No. 1 national ranking. Coach Anderson and the Engineers have been a fixture on the national basketball scene, ranked in the Top 25 eight of the past 11 seasons. In 2017-18, Anderson's squad captured the NEWMAC Championship for the second straight season before advancing to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. In 2018-19, the Engineers claimed the NEWMAC regular-season crown and had three NEWMAC First Team All-Conference honorees.
In his first season with the Judges, he led the team to an 18-11 record and a berth in the ECAC Division III tournament. The Judges won four games in five days to claim the fourth ECAC crown in program history. Bain also helped Lawrence Sabir '21 earn UAA Defensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. In 2019-20, the Judges went 17-8 in his second campaign as a head coach, finishing 9-5 and third in the University Athletic Association, their best placement in a decade. During that season, Collin Sawyer '20 and Chandler Jones '21 earned first-team All-UAA honors and D3Hoops.com All-New England accolades. Eric D'Aguanno '20 became the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers and joined the 1,000-point club as well. Bain came to Brandeis after two seasons at Columbia University. He joined the Columbia coaching staff as an assistant in 2016 and was promoted to associate head coach the next year. He served as the Lions' recruiting coordinator, bringing in one of the top classes in recent memory in the Class of 2021.
Brown enters his 24th season as the head coach of the men's basketball program at Middlebury in 2020-21. He led the Panthers to six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2008-13) with a combined record of 147-26. In 2010-11, the Panthers advanced to the NCAA Final Four, setting a new school record with a 28-2 mark. He was named both the NESCAC and NABC District Coach of the Year after the record-setting season. Brown led the team to 24 wins en route to its first NESCAC Championship in 2008-09. The Panthers also made their second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, as Brown was selected as both the NESCAC and the NABC District Coach of the Year. He now owns a career record of 396-210 over 23 years at Middlebury, owning a higher winning percentage than any other coach in the program’s history.
In 13 seasons at the helm of the New Jersey City University men’s basketball program, former Siena College All-American and 16-year professional basketball player Marc Brown has been an award-winning head coach who has demonstrated the ability to identify and cultivate talent and produce quality student-athletes while competing each year for the post-season. Brown begins his 14th season as head coach of the Gothic Knights in 2020-21, seeking to guide the program deeper into the post-season. Brown is the second winningest coach in the illustrious 83-year history of the basketball program. He has guided NJCU to eight post-season tournaments including the 2018-19 NCAA Division III Tournament. NJCU has also played in the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament six times (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 2020) and reached the NJAC Tournament six times. He has recruited and coached three NJAC Rookie of the Year selections (2009, 2010, 2013) and Sam Toney a D-3 All American.
Over the past two seasons with the Statesmen, Thompson helped his alma mater to an overall record of 38-16 while capturing the 2017-18 Liberty League regular season championship and playing in the 2019 Liberty League Tournament Championship game. Thompson and his co-workers were voted the 2017-18 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year after the team posted a 21-5 record that included a program record 15-game winning streak. In his first season as head coach he guided the Statesmen to a 23-5 record and the NCAA tournament. The Statesmen won two games before COVID cancelled all remaining games. At Wilkes, Thompson assisted with coaching, recruiting, scouting, travel planning, and monitoring student-athlete academic progress. He helped the Colonels advance to the MAC Freedom Tournament Championship game with an upset of top-seeded DeSales in 2016. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Thompson also served as the director of intramurals at Wilkes. In 2016, he also earned a master's degree in education from Wilkes and Woldeslassie- Macalester College.
Anthony Grant is in his third season as head coach at the University of Dayton. He is the second Dayton alum in the modern era of Flyer basketball to be UD's head coach. Grant played at Dayton from 1983 to 1987 and was team captain and MVP as a senior. In 11 seasons as a head coach, Grant took his teams to three NCAA tournament appearances and seven postseason tournament berths. He has a career record of 228-139 (.621). Grant guided Dayton to a 29-2 season going 18-0 at home and winning their last 20 games of the season. He recruited the National Player of the Year Obi Toppin who projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
The Elon University graduate(1988) is no stranger to national awards winning AP National Coach of the Year in 2012 while at Missouri. Haith’s Tulsa teams have compiled 20 wins, and advanced to the postseason in two of his five seasons, while players have collected six all-conference honors. Additionally, Tulsa has notched 54 league wins under Haith (2014-present), which ranks fifth in the conference during that span. He guided his 2019-20 Tulsa team to a 21-10 record while going 15-2 at home and 13-5 in the rugged American Athletic Conference.
The most successful coach in Florida State history, Leonard Hamilton is the Seminoles’ all-time winningest coach and is the fifth all-time winningest coach in ACC history. In 2020, he led Florida State to the first ACC Regular Season Championship in school history. The Seminoles finished ACC play with a 16-4 record — the 16 wins in ACC play established a school record for ACC wins in a season. Under Hamilton, Florida State has defeated 50 nationally ranked teams during his 17 years in Tallahassee. Included in those wins are seven victories over nationally ranked Duke teams. With two victories each over nationally ranked Duke, North Carolina and Virginia teams in 2012, the Seminoles led the ACC with six victories over nationally ranked teams in winning Florida State’s first ever ACC Championship. With 14 NBA Draft selections under Hamilton since 2004, the Seminoles are fourth in the ACC for the most draft picks since Hamilton was named the Seminoles’ Head Coach in 2002.
5. Shaheen Holloway | St Peters University | MAAC | Coach of the Year
In just his second season at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Holloway was named as the 2020 The Rock MAAC Coach of the Year. He became the third head coach from Saint Peter's to win the conference's top coach award. Holloway’s team went 18-12 on the season, winning 14 conference games after winning six in his 1st season. What’s more astounding of his St Peter’s team is he had 12 players average double digit minutes and NOT ONE PLAYER averaged double figures in scoring! The former McDonald’s All American and Seton Hall star brought that same tenacious defense he played in college to his team as they give up a stingy 64 points per game.
6. James Jones- Yale University | Ivy | Coach of the Year
Jones, the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach at Yale, is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history. Jones, the longest tenured coach in the league, enters the 2020-21 season with 333 career victories, which is the second most in league history, and his 180 Ivy wins are the third most in league history.
Jones, who is in his 22nd season at the helm, has guided the Bulldogs to five Ivy League championships – 2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 - three NCAA Tournament berths – 2016, 2019, 2020 - and six postseason appearances. His .612 winning percentage in Ivy games is by far the highest in school history.Jones, the 2019 recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the top minority coach in Division I men's basketball, has presided over the most successful era in the long history of Yale Basketball. Over the last six seasons, Yale has a remarkable 63-21 Ivy record. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have won four league titles and earned three NCAA Tournament berths, including notching the first NCAA victory in school history. Jones, who was inducted into New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, is a three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2020) and also has been named the NABC District 13 Coach of the Year three times. Jones has mentored numerous players who have gone on to play professionally, including Miye Oni, who in 2019 became the first Ivy Leaguer selected in the NBA draft since Penn’s Jerome Allen in 1995. Oni was the 2019 Ivy League Player of the Year.
7. Mike Jones | Radford University | Big South | Coach of the Year
Mike Jones has completed nine seasons at the helm of the Radford men’s basketball program after taking the position on June 14, 2011. He and his teams have won 159 games at Radford, making him the third-winningest coach in program history. 87 of those wins have come against Big South competition. Jones 2019-2020 team’s 21-11 record carried them to their second straight regular season conference title. The 20-win season gave Jones’ and company its third straight 20-win season – the most consecutive 20-win seasons in program history. The season featured wins over Northwestern, Richmond and James Madison and saw Jones reach his 150th win as a head coach. He was later named a Hugh Durham and Ben Jobe Award finalist by CollegeInsider.com and donned his second Big South Coach of the Year honor. Carlik Jones was named 2019-20 Big South Player of the Year.
8. Will Jones | North Carolina A&T| MEAC | Coach of the Year
Jones took over the N.C. A&T Aggies men's basketball program as the acting head coach on Dec. 24, 2019. He led the Aggies to a 14-5 record including a second-place finish in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) by going 12-4. The Aggies also claimed a first-round MEAC tournament win over Howard under Jones before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2019-20 season. Jones had three All-MEAC selections, two first-team All-MEAC selections for the first time in 32 seasons, 1 BOXTOROW All-American and point guard Kameron Langley led the nation in total assists, assists per game and triple-doubles. NCAT Led MEAC in eight statistical categories (scoring offense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, rebounding offense, assists, steals, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio, and defensive rebounds). Coach Jones has the most MEAC wins by a first-year head coach at N.C. A&T (12-4).
9. Shantay Legans | Eastern Washington University | Big Sky | Coach of the Year
Selected by ESPN as #11 on its “top 40 under 40” D-1 coaching list it’s easy to see why Coach Legans career is on the rise. His 2019-2020 team concluded the season 23-8 overall and 16-4 in conference. Eastern’s school-record 16 Big Sky wins included sweeps over seven of the league’s 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Legans is now 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In league games, he has directed EWU to 13, 12 and now 16 victories, winning 71 percent for a record of 41-17. Both percentages are currently the best among the eight men who have been head coaches in EWU’s tenure in the league, and his 41 league wins is the best three-year stretch in school history. Legans recorded the most wins by an Eastern rookie head coach at the NCAA Division I level with 20 in the 2018-19 season. Junior forward Mason Peatling and senior forward Jesse Hunt were 2nd team all-conference selections in 2019-2020.
After just a full two years at the helm of the men's basketball program Byron Smith has elevated the 2018-19 team to a championship caliber winning the both the SWAC Regular Season title as well as the SWAC Tournament Champions. This is the first time in the history of the schools men's basketball program that a coach has won both of these titles. Prairie completed the 2019-2020 season 18-13 overall won the regular season SWAC title going 14-4 in conference. His team led the SWAC in a number of statistical categories margin of victory, field goal defense, assist per game, steal per game and assist to turnover ratio. This is the 2nd consecutive year Coach Smith has been named SWAC Coach of the Year. Devonte Patterson was named the 2019-2020 SWAC Player of the Year.
10. Byron Smith | Prairie View A&M | SWAC | Coach of the Year
11. Damon Stoudamire | Pacific University | WCC | Coach of the Year
Stoudamire, who is entering his fifth season as head coach, is fresh off of one of the most successful seasons in program history, which included being named the 2019-20 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Finishing with a 23-10 overall record, the Tigers placed tied for third with Saint Mary's in the final WCC regular season standings in 2019-20, earning a top four seed in the conference tournament for the first time since rejoining the WCC in 2013. Additionally, 23 wins also marked the highest total in the Stoudamire era as the former NBA veteran guided UOP to their best finish since 2013- when the Tigers earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Stoudamire directed a determined defensive unit, which led the conference and ranked No.42 nationally in scoring defense last season. Collectively as a team in 2019-20, Pacific ranked at the top of the WCC in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, blocked shots per game, and total blocks Individually, Stoudamire coached Jahlil Tripp to a spot on the All-WCC First Team, helping the senior earn WCC Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as being selected to the NABC District 9 Second Team. Stoudamire also helped Daniss Jenkins land the program's first All-WCC Freshman Team honor.
12. Darrell Walker | Arkansas Little Rock | Sun Belt | Coach of the Year
Darrell Walker is in his third season as Little Rock's head basketball coach and is already causing programs across the country to take notice. In his second season at the helm of the Trojans, Walker guided Little Rock to one of the top turnarounds in the nation. After finishing the 2018-19 season with a 10-21 mark, and picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt preseason poll, Walker guided Little Rock to the outright Sun Belt Conference regular season title with a 21-10 record, including going 15-5 in conference play. The turnaround garnered Walker Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, becoming just the fourth Trojan head coach to earn that accolade. Under Walker's guidance, Little Rock saw Ruot Monyyong named the Sun Belt's Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, as well as being named a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American. Markquis Nowell was named a first team All-Sun Belt selection, earning All-District and All-Region honors before being named a Lou Henson All-American. It marked the first time in program history two Trojans earned All-America honors in the same season. Prior to coming to Little Rock, Walker spent two seasons as the head coach at Clark Atlanta University, compiling an overall record of 45-18 and leading the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
1. Mike Makubika | Florida Southern
Mike Makubika has been a member of the Florida Southern men's basketball staff since 2015 when he came to the Mocsto continue as an assistant under head coach Mike Donnelly. He served as an assistant coach for his first four seasons at Southern before being elevated to the position of associate head coach in 2019. As a longtime assistant to Donnelly, he has spent nearly a decade on the sidelines with the Moccasins' head coach during stints at Southern Connecticut State (2010-15) and Post University (2009-10). At Florida Southern, Makubika has helped coach and developed one all-American, six all-Sunshine State Conference selections, and one SSC Player and one SSC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, the Mocs have made the NCAA Tournament and won at least 20 games in each of the past two seasons, along with an SSC Tournament Championship (2019). As the primary recruiter for Florida Southern, Makubika has been instrumental in bringing in some of the most talented players in all of Division II. He has also helped the Moccasins excel in the classroom, with the team earning the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award two times and producing 30 Sunshine State Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll selections. Makubika has also helped spearhead much of the team's community service efforts, as the men's basketball team tallied nearly 300 hours of community service and outreach last year. He has also been recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the country, earning a No. 8 national ranking of the top Division II assistant coaches in the country according to CoachStat.net.In five years at Southern Connecticut, Makubika helped Donnelly coach the Owls to a 97-48 record and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2014 and 2015. The 2013-14 squad finished 30-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the national tournament. Along the way, the Owls won their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.Makubika was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Division II Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in July 2020.
2. Vincent Robinson | Miles College
Vincent Robinson is in his third season at Miles College as Associate Head Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Academic Coordinator and Director of Operations with the Golden Bears men’s basketball team.Robinson comes to Miles from The Robinson School where he established it as one of the premier prep programs in the country. He started his head coaching career at NIA Prep in Newark, N.J., and finished his inaugural season by winning the Apex School Prep Regional Tournament. Every student-athlete at NIAPrep received a scholarship. Coach Robinson’s 2009-10 NIA Prep team was ranked No. 9 by ESPN. He founded The Robinson School in 2010 and five years later, they were National Champions (2014-15). Coach Robinson has a head coaching record of 287-55 winning eight Conference Championships and was selected Coach of the Year six times. Every student-athlete who has played for him at The Robinson School received a scholarship.Miles College has a record of 45-13 with Robinson on the sidelines assisting Head Coach Fred Watson. Miles College record the 2 previous years prior was 11-41. The Golden Bears are the back-to-back SIAC regular season and conference champions. Miles College is the back-to-back NCAA #1 ranked defensive team in the country. The Golden Bears defense has allowed 80 points once in 58 games and 70 or more points 5 times in 2 years.2019-20 team concluded 24-4 in the COVID shortened season. Head Coach Fred Watson was named D-2 National Coach of the Year in many publications while Avery Brown was named SIAC Player of the Year and BoxtoRow 1st team All-American. Jelani Watson-Gayle was named 2nd team all conference and 2nd team BoxtoRow All-American. Miles College was ranked as high as #19 in the country and reported a 3.4 GPA in the classroom winning the Commissioners Cup both years Robinson has been with the program. Robinson was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Division II Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in July 2020.
3. Tony Jones | UNC Pembroke
A six-year veteran on the coaching staff for the Braves, including a stint this past season as the interim head coach, Tony Jones will begin his seventh year with the Black & Gold in 2020-21 as an associate head coach. Jones, who originally joined the program as a student assistant coach prior to the 2014-15 campaign, took over as interim head coach in November 2019 and led the Braves to a 24-6 record and their first outright Peach Belt Conference regular season title. The Black & Gold closed out the season by capturing 17 of its last 19 regular season contests on the way to claiming the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Jones was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Division II Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in July 2020. After excelling as a student assistant coach in his first season with the Braves in 2014-15, Jones was promoted to graduate assistant coach for the 2015-16 campaign and his added duties included coordinating practice plans and drills, while also managing graduate and studentassistants. He also served an integral role in the recruiting efforts for the program as well.The 2019-20 Braves team concluded the season 24-6 overall and 17-3 in conference. Jones recruited and mentored Peach Belt Player of the Year Akai Pruitt.
4. Drew Williamson | Virginia State University
Drew Williamson arrived to Virginia State University in 2013 to assist with the Trojans men’s basketball team. In 7 seasons at Virginia State, Williamson has helped lead the Trojans to 6 consecutive Northern Division titles, 2 conference tournament championships, and 4 NCAA tournament appearances with an average of 21 wins per season.The 2018-19 season was one for the record books for the Trojans, with 28 wins, they broke school the record of 25 which was set one year prior (2017-18).The Trojans finished the season as regular season and conference champions, with winning streaks or 16 and 10 throughout the course of the season. Along with Williamson’s on court duties, his responsibilities include but are not limited to scheduling, working as a liaison to the academic team and the Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance.2019-20 season they ended 19-9 with a 12-3 conference record.
5. Ivan Patterson | Cal State San Bernadino
Ivan Patterson joined the Coyotes in 2018 while playing at Cal Baptist University he helped lead the Lancers to their first ever Pacific West championship and in the same year helped the Lancers make their first ever NCAA Division II playoff appearance. Patterson joined the coaching staff in 2016 and in his two seasons coaching there, led by Rick Croy the Lancers boasted an impressive 54-11 record and were the Division II West Regional champions (2017-2018). The 2019-20 Coyotes team closed the season 21-8 and 16-6 in conference.
Jason A. Armstrong joined the Lincoln University athletic staff as the associate head coach for the men's basketball program prior to the 2020-21 season. Armstrong comes to Lincoln University after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Division II Dominican College for the past seven seasons. During his tenure at Dominican, the Chargers reached four consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) championship games, while claiming back to back CACC championships the last two seasons. Armstrong started in coaching careerat Bloomfield College, where the Deacons claimed back-to-back CACC championships as well. He moved to Dominican from Bloomfield College. After 2 seasons he moved on to Dominican College, Coach Armstrong's coaching skills flourished, as he served as a recruiter, managed the scouting of opponents, was the academic liaison, and handled player development.The 2019-20 Chargers team closed out the season 25-6 won the regular season and CACC championship.
6. Jason Armstrong | Lincoln University
7. Muhamadou Kaba | East Stroudsburg
Muhamadou Kaba, a 2015 graduate of East Stroudsburg University, concluded his fourth season as assistant coach for the Warriors during the 2019-20 season.The Warriors have gone 86-34 during his first four seasons on the staff. They booked a repeat trip to the Division II tournament during the 2018-19 campaign after posting a mark of 21-8 (17-3 PSAC), and they earned a second-consecutive PSAC East regular season championship. Kabawas named to the NABC "30-Under-30" list in the spring of 2018, a nationally-renowned list which recognizes up and coming young coaches in men's college basketball. He was one of just six Division II coaches to be recognized. The honor came after Kaba helped guide the Warriors to their third PSAC championship in the last seven years, and their first NCAA DII Atlantic Region title in program history. ESU finished with a final record of 27-6, including an 18-4 mark against PSAC competition. The 2019-20 season saw the Warriors finish 20-9 overall 17-5 in conference and 12-2 at home. Kaba was named one of the 50 Most Impactful Division II Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in July 2020.
8. Ray McAfee | Ferris State University
Bulldog alum Raymoan McAfee became FSU's full-time assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season and helped Ferris State post its sixth-straight 20-plus victory campaign in 2019-20. The 2020-21 season will represent his third year as the top assistant on head coach Andy Bronkema's staff.McAfee, who played for the Bulldogs from 2012-14 and served on the FSU coaching staff for three years following his collegiate playing career, was appointed to a full-time role after spending the 2017-18 campaign in asimilar position at Indiana Tech University.During his previous stint on the Ferris State staff, McAfee assisted in all facets of the program, including day-to-day operations, video, analytics, fundraising, recruiting, individual skill development, position work, on-floor coaching and player communication. He spent a year coaching as the top assistant at Indiana Tech under first-year head coach and former Cornerstone University assistant coach Ted Albert. In his lone season at Indiana Tech, McAfee helped lead the Warriors to a 27-7 overall mark and a 17-3 conference season, which included a trip to the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Warriors finished as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) runner-up and were ranked as high as third in the NAIA Division II Coaches Top 25 poll.
9. Julius Smith | Point Loma
Julius Smith will be back for his second season as an assistant coach with the Point Loma men's basketball team. Smith assists in guards and post player development, recruiting, scouting, scheduling, travel and more. In his first season with the team, the Sea Lions went 24-6 record (18-4 PacWest) and made conference history by becoming the first men's basketball team to win back-to-back PacWestTournament Championships. Point Loma was ranked multiple times during the season, rising as high as No. 16. He helped coach Darnell Robateau to PacWest Newcomer of the Year award and Kaden Anderson to All-Region honors. Smith was also instrumental in the Sea Lions posting a 3.30 team grade point average.Smith spent the previous four seasons at Riverside Poly High School, where he was an Associate Head Coach, compiling a record of 88-51. Smith has also coached many elite basketball programs such as West Coast Elite Basketball and the Cali Rebels. The 2019-20 season concluded with a 24-6 overall 18-4 in conference and closed the season on a seven game winning streak.
10.Kranthi Senadhi | University of Bridgeport
Kranthi “Krunch” Senadhiis entering season number eleven at the University of Bridgeport and year number six as Associate Head Men’s basketball coach under Head Coach Mike Ruane. 2019-20 saw the Purple Knights finish the seas at 24-4 overall 15-1 in conference and 12-1 at home.2018-2019, he helped the Purple Knights reach the ECC Championship Tournament Final. The 2017-2018 was a promising season for the University of Bridgeport Men’s Basketball program, they completed the season with an overall record of 25-6 and a won the conference regular season title with a conference record of 17-1 and set the school record for longest winning streak at 16 games in a row. Along with these accolades the Purple Knights led the country in forced turnovers, were ranked 2nd in the country in steals and 3rd in the country in turnover margin. The Knights advanced to the Conference Championship and would receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. In 2016-2017, the Purple Knights were on the verge of making a fourth NCAA tournament infive yearsbut a loss in the ECC semi-finals would leave them with an 18-12 overall record bouncing them out of NCAA contentions. In 2015-2016, the Purple Knights finished the season with a record of 15-14 and lost in the Quarterfinals of the ECC playoffs. In 2014-2015, the Purple Knights had an overall record of 24-7 and 17-3 in conference, which was the highest number of total wins in the last 23 seasons. The Knights also captured their third straight East Coast Conference championship in a row and their second regular season conference title in the last three seasons. This marked the third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Bridgeport men’s basketball. In 2013-2014, the University of Bridgeport men’s basketball team had a record of 18-11 and captured their second straight East Coast Conference Championship and second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Orlando “Bino” Ranson has coached10seasons in College Park, nine with Coach Turgeon. During his time with Turgeon, Ranson and theTerps have collected 204 wins.In 2019-20, Ranson helped lead the Terps to the 2020 Big Ten Championship and a 24-7 overall record, before the season was cut short (no postseason) due to the coronavirus pandemic. Maryland finished the season ranked No. 12in the Associated Press poll, as Baltimore forward Jalen Smith was a unanimous All-American. Ranson played a major part in helping lead the Terps to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including four in the last five seasons, and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen during the 2015-16 season. It marked the Terps’ longest run in the NCAA Tournament since 2003. In the 2015-16 season, Maryland started 15-1 –the best start in program history and finished the campaign with a 27-9 overall record No. 12 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll.The Terps won 79 games between the 2014-15 through 2016-17 seasons, adding up to the second-most wins in school history over a three-year span. Ranson has helped lead the Terps to three 24-plus regular season-win seasons, while the Terrapins were also ranked in the Associated Press top-25 for 36 consecutive weeks, including 20 weeks in the top-10.In their inaugural season in the Big Ten (2014-15), Ranson and the Terrapins posted a school record 26 regular season wins en route to advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Ranson played a major role in helping Maryland sign five consecutive top-25 recruiting classes in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Ranson was critical in helping Maryland secure a top-10 recruiting class in 2018, leading the recruiting efforts to sign five-star McDonald’s All-American Jalen Smith out of Mount Saint Joseph’s High School in Baltimore. In addition, Ranson directed the recruiting efforts for Darryl Morsell from the class of 2017, a four-star recruit out of Mount Saint Joseph’s.Ranson has helped develop sevenNBA Draft selections while at Maryland: Alex Len, Jordan Williams, Jake Layman, Diamond Stone, Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson andBruno Fernando
(in alphabetical order)
Joe Pierre III | Liberty University
Joe Pierre III was elevated to Assistant Coach in 2020, after arriving at Liberty in 2018. Pierre's roles include on-court player development, film breakdown, recruiting and management of gear. Pierre started at Liberty in 2018, as the Director of Player of Development and helped the Flames to back-to-back historic seasons. After becoming the 2019 ASUN Regular Season and Tournament Champions, the Flames defeated Mississippi State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2020, the Flames again earned ASUN Regular Season and Tournament titles and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.Prior to Liberty, Pierre served as the graduate assistant/video coordinator for Middle Tennessee under Kermit Davis, now the head coach at Ole Miss. During his two years at Middle Tennessee, the Blue Raiders went 56-13 with two postseason tournament appearances. In 2017 Pierre and the Blue Raiders advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating the University of Minnesota. In 2018 Middle Tennessee went 25-8, won the Conference Regular Season Championship, and advanced to the second round of the NIT. At Middle Tennessee, Pierre assisted in the skill development of JaCorey Williams and Nick King, who both earned Conference USA Player of the Year.
Hamlet Tibbs | University of Vermont
The 2020-21 season marks Hamlet Tibbs' seventh year as an assistant coach at Vermont.The 2019-20 Cats became the first team in league history to win four consecutive outright America East regular season titles and received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll eight times. UVM finished the campaign with a 26-7 overall record and 14-2 mark in league play. Vermont took down St. John’s for its first win over a high-major program since 2009. The Green and Gold swept the Atlantic 10 for the second year in a row with wins over St. Bonaventure and George Washington. Vermont went on a 12-game conference winning streak which was the fourth-longest streak of its kind in the nation. The Cats earned a record-setting eighth America East Championship, breaking a tie with Northeastern for the most in league history. UVM ranked in the top five nationally in scoring defense (59.5 ppg allowed) and field-goal percentage defense (38.0%).In 2018-19, UVM captured its ninth America East regular season championship andreturned to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time. The Cats posted a 27-7 overall record and went 14-2 in conference play. The Green and Gold swept three conferences duringthe non-league slate, including the first ever against Atlantic 10.He helped UVM to a 27-8 record in 2017-18, its second-highest single season win total, trailing only last year's historic 29-win campaign. Vermont posted a 15-1 league record and captured its eighth America East regular season crown in school history. The Catamounts have recorded 10-straight 20-win seasons –one of only 10 programs to accomplish the feat.The Cats were on the national radar and received votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 Poll three times. UVM extended its record-setting conference winning streak to 31 games. Vermont also logged the third-longest winning streak in program history at 15 games. The Green and Gold held the nation's longest overall winning streak for the second straight season. The Catamounts were consistently among the top mid-majorprograms in the country, ranking in the top-10 throughout the season in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll and the MidMajorMadness.com Weekly Power Rankings.
Alvin Brooks | University of Houston
Former Houston head coach Alvin Brooks enters his 11th season asassistant coach with the University of Houston Men’s Basketball program in 2020-21. It also will be his 23rd season associated with the Cougars. In 36 years on the sidelines, Brooks has competed in 22 postseason tournaments as a coach or student-athlete. He has guided 17 players who competed in the NBA with a dozen more players playing professionally overseas. Brooks assists Head Coach Kelvin Sampson in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, practices and opponents’ scouting. This will be his seventh season to serve on Sampson’s staff. During his tenure, the Cougars have enjoyed success in the classroom as well. Fourteen student-athletes have been named to the conference All-Academic Team for posting a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. In 2019-20, the Cougars compiled a 23-8 overall record and a 13-8 mark in American Athletic Conference play to earn the program’s second straight regular-season league title. With its victory total, Houston recorded its fifth straight 20-win season, afirst in school history. The Cougars reeled off three straight wins in Hawai’i in December 2019, with a 75-71 win over No. 21/20 Washington in the title game to win the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic championship For the third straight season, theCougars finished among the nation’s Top 25 in both polls, another first in program history. Brooks helped lead the Cougars to a record-setting season in 2018-19. Houston set a school record with 33 wins, captured the program’s first outright conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 since 1984 and finished among the Top 12 in both final national polls.
Michael Wilder | UC Irvine
Michael Wilder, a former UC Irvine standout, is in his fifth season as an assistant coach in 2020-21 and seventh year overall on the men's basketball staff as the Anteaters have reached the postseason in five of those seasons.He served two seasons as the program's director of administration.In 2019-20, Wilderhelped the Anteaters win their second-straight Big West regular season title outright.He helped lead UCI to a record-breaking 2018-19 season as the Anteaters broke school records in overall wins (31), longest winning streak (17 games) and tied a program best 15-1 mark in Big West play. The Anteaters earned their second Big West Conference Tournament title and second NCAA Tournament appearance. UCI won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game defeating fourth-seeded Kansas State 70-64. He also guided Jonathan Galloway to become the Big West's first-ever three time Defensive Player of the Year recipient.
Craig 'Speedy' Claxton | Hofstra University
Craig “Speedy” Claxton just completed his seventh season on the Hofstra Basketball staff and his sixth an assistant coach in 2019-20.Claxton, one of the all-time greats in the history of the Hofstra Basketball program, joined the Hofstra staff after spending three seasons as a scout with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).The 2019-20 season saw Hofstra have another magical year as the Pridewon 26 games and captured its second straight outright Colonial Athletic Association regular season title. Hofstra would go on to win the CAA championship and earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001. The Pride became only the sixth team in conference history (since 1982-83) to win back-to-back outright conference regular season titles.Hofstra set a school record with 27 victories during the 2018-19 season and earned its first outright regular season conference title since the 2000-01 season. The Pride advanced to the CAA Championship Game and the regular season title earned Hofstra an automatic berth in the National Invitation Tournament. Claxton has been an important part of the turnaround that has seen the Hofstra men’s basketball program win 131 games over the past six seasons and average more than 20 wins a season after Head Coach Joe Mihalich and his staff took over a program that was coming off a seven-win campaign Claxton has worked with a trio of CAA Players of the Year during his time on staff, including back-to-back honors for Justin Wright-Foreman in 2017-18 and 2018-19
Jareem Dowling | University of North Texas
Jareem Dowling enters his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Mean Green men's basketball team in 2020-21.In his three full seasons at UNT he's helped lead the Mean Green to three20-wins seasons and the program's first conference regular season championship in 31 years in 2019-20 when they went 14-4 in C-USA.Dowling, who also serves as a keycoach for the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team, has been a crucialrecruiter for North Texas, identifying and bringing in players such as 2020 C-USA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet.In addition to winning the Conference USA regular season title in 2019-20, McCasland and the staff were voted C-USA Coach of the Year.In 2019-20, the Mean Green went a program-best 14-4 in conference.The Mean Green earned the No. 1 seed in the 2020 C-USA Tournament but had the season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.During the 2019-20 season, the Mean Green ranked in the top 25 in the nation in both overall field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. They were just one of four teams who could claim that. They beat Western Kentucky on March 1, 78-72 (OT), to win the regular season crown. It ended an 11-game skid to the Hilltoppers.When Dowling and the staff joined UNT in2017-18, they took over a program that had won eight games the season prior. North Texas not only had one of the nation's best turnarounds in their first year, they also won the College Basketball Invitational Tournament. It was UNT's first NCAA National Tournament championship. The success carried over into year two as the Mean Green began the 2018-19 season 16-1. They were the first team in the nation to 16 wins and the 16-1 start was the program's best start ever.Dowling has 14 years of collegiate coaching experience and has been on the benchalongside McCasland for now five years. Prior to North Texas, he spent a year as an assistant coach with McCasland at Arkansas State for the 2016-17 season where they went 20-12 overall and 11-7 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Sharif Chambliss | Wright State University
With a knowledge of college basketball but also the Horizon League, Sharif Chambliss joined Scott Nagy’s staff in the Spring of2016.A Racine, Wisconsin, native, Chambliss spent four seasons at HL foe Milwaukee after spending a season as the video coordinator at the University of Wisconsin.His first season with the Raiders, WSU saw many successes and improvements that will act as a base for the future.Wright State posted 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2008, includingthe title of the Men vs Breast Cancer Classic and finished with a 115 RPI.Also, WSU had a player named first-team All League for the first time since 2011 as Mark Alstork was honored by the Horizon League.Year two in 2018, he helped guide the Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007 as senior Grant Benzinger was named to the the Horizon League's first team, freshman Loudon Love to the second team and Newcomer of the Year and junior Mark Hughes to the All-Defensive Team.For his and the team's efforts, Nagy was named the League and the NABC District Coach of the Year as WSU posted a 25-10, 14-4 record.The third season, beingpicked to win the Horizon League title for the first-time ever at WSU, the Raiders tied for the regular-season title and received the top seed in the League Tournament.As Wright State (21-14, 13-5) advanced to the school's first NIT appearance, the Raiders added a record six individuals who received post-season conference honors, led by Scott Nagy being named Coach of the Year for the second straight time.Loudon Love once again was honored, this time as a first-team member while newcomer Bill Wampler was placed on the second-team.Seniors Mark Hughes and Parker Ernsthausen took two of the five spots on the All-Defensive Team, and Malachi Smith was placed on the All-Freshman squad.Additionally, Love was selected to the NABC District 12 Team, and namedan All-American by theLou Henson All-American Team committee, an award given annually to the nation's best mid-major players in Division I college basketball.During the 2011-12 season, Chambliss was part of a Badgers program that posted a 26-10 overallrecord and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He has also previously served as Milwaukee’s men’s basketball academic advisor and has served coaching stints at UW-Platteville and Francis Marion University.
Antoni Wyche | Siena College
Antoni Wyche enters his second season with the Saints, after being named an assistant coach on Apr. 9, 2019. A native of nearby Ballston Lake, New York, Wyche serves as both Siena's recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator.In his first season with the Saints, Wychehelped guide Siena to the program's eighth MAAC Regular Season Championship and sixth MAAC Tournament title. The Saints posted a 20-10 overall record including a 15-5 mark in the MAAC, while achievinga perfect 14-0 record at the Times Union Center. Wyche aidedin the development of MAAC Player of the Year Jalen Pickett, and fellow First Team All-MAAC selection Manny Camper. Siena ended the season on a 10-game winning streak thanks in large part to Wyche's defense, which allowed an average of just 59.1 points on only 38.6% shooting including 26.0% from three during that span.Wyche arrived in Loudonville after spending the previous10 seasons as an assistant coach at perennial Patriot League power Lehigh, including the finaleight as associate head coach. Wyche helped guide the Mountain Hawks to three national postseason tournament appearances including a pair of NCAA Tournament berths under the direction of Dr. Brett Reed.Lehigh amassed a 189-128 (.596) record during Wyche’s tenure, including a 102-62 (.622) mark in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks won a pair of Patriot League Championships to earn NCAA Tournament berths (2010, 2012), highlighted by a school-record 27 wins and an historic First Round upset of Duke in 2012 in which the Mountain Hawks became just the sixth No. 15 seed ever to beat a two-seed. Wyche also helped guide Lehigh to a 2013 College Basketball Invitational appearanceand consecutive Patriot League Championship Game berths in 2016 and 2017.Wyche played a key role in both recruiting and developing some of Lehigh’s all-time greats over the past decade, highlighted by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, 2013 NBA Draft top-10 pick, and Portland Trail Blazers star C.J. McCollum. Wyche has also worked with several other top student athletes, including two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Tim Kempton and the first four-time All-Patriot League honoree in program history in Kahron Ross.
Jamie Quarles | University of Buffalo
Jamie Quarles begins his fourth season on the UB men's basketball coaching staff. Quarles was a long-time assistant coach at Augusta University where he was most recently named one of the Top 10 Young Professionals To Watch by Augusta Magazine. Last season, Quarles helepd lead the Bulls to a 20-12 record, overseeing the Buffalo offense, which ranked amongst the tops in the MId-American Conferenece.As the primary guards coach, Quarles also coached Ronaldo Segu, who was named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year and Davonta Jordan, who was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.Junior guard Jayvon Graves was named a first-team All-MAC selection. In 2018-19, Quarles helped guide the Bulls to their most successful season in school history as Buffalo finsihed the year 32-4, while being ranked in the Top 25 for nearly the entire season.The 32 wins are a school and Mid-American Conference record, while the Bulls made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.Following the year, a number of Bulls earned All-MAC honors, including CJ Massinburg, who was named the MAC Player of the Year and Dontay Caruthers, who was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. In his first season with the Bulls, Quarles helped guide the Bulls to their first ever outright MAC Regular Season title, while the Bulls also won the MAC Tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Quarles worked with a dynamic group of guards, including Massinburg, who tied the school record for pointsin a season with 611 and was named an All-MAC First Team selection.Quarles also worked with MAC Tournament MVP Wes Clark and second team selection Jeremy Harris.Six of UB's top seven scorers in 2017-18 were guards.
Jamal Brown | Norfolk State University
Jamal Brown enters his fifth year as an assistant coach with the Norfolk State men’s basketball program in 2020-21. He has spent more than 15 years in coaching positions throughout the MEAC and more than 20 years overall in the coaching field.In Brown’s third season as an assistant in 2018-19, NSU captured the MEAC regular season title at 14-2, just the second ever for the program since joining the league in 1997. The Spartans earned the league’s automatic bid to the NIT, upsetting No. 1 seed Alabama in the first round. They also went 22-14 overall, the second-most wins for the program in its Division I era.A total of five players earned All-MEAC honors in 2019, including guards Nic Thomas and Derrik Jamerson Jr. (second team), guard Steven Whitley and forward Jordan Butler (third team) and guard C.J. Kelly (all-rookie team). For the second straight year, the program set the overall school record for 3-pointers and the D-I record for 3-point field goal percentage. NSU also scored its most points per game (73.7) in 19 years.NSU followed that up by finishing in a tie for second in the MEAC in 2019-20 at 12-4. The Spartans secured their third non-losing season in four seasons with Brown on the bench before COVID-19 shut down the season before NSU’s first game in the MEAC Tournament. Nevertheless, Jermaine Bishop (first team), Whitley (third team) and Tyrese Jenkins (all-rookie team) garnered All-MEAC honors that year.NSU made its fourth-ever MEAC Championship title game appearance in 2019 and the second with Brown on the bench along with his first season in 2017. That year, the Spartans finished second in the MEAC regular season standings at 12-4. They also made their sixth straight postseason appearance after competing in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.Norfolk State posted a 10-game win streak during the middle of conference play, the second-longest win streak in the program’s D-I era. Guard Jonathan Wade earned first-team All-MEAC honors, and guard Zaynah Robinson earned a spot on the second team.The Spartans followed that up by going 11-5 and tying for fourth place in the MEAC regular season standings in 2017-18 in Brown’s second season, finishing one game out of first place. NSU owns a 49-15 record (76.6 percent) in the MEAC since Brown joined the coaching staff
Jermaine Kimbrough | Loyola University Chicago
Jermaine Kimbrough, a veteran coach who has over 15 years of experience, will begin his second season as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago in 2020-21. A native of northeast, Ohio, Kimbrough spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming. In his first season in Chicago, Kimbrough played a key role in helping the Ramblers to a 21-win season in 2019-20, as the Ramblers finished just one game behind Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference race, giving them three straight seasons of second-place-or-better showings in the regular season standings. Over the last three years, Loyola has compiled 73 wins and with a 78-70 victory over Vanderbilt in December 2019, the Ramblers notched their fifth win over a Power 6 opponent in the last three seasons.Center Cameron Krutwig finished second in the voting for Larry Bird trophy as the 2019-20 MVC Player of the Year, earning first team all-league accolades, whilefreshman guard Marquise Kenney was chosen as the MVC Sixth Man of the Year. Tate Hall was hailed as a Third Team All-MVC pick and Lucas Williamson picked up MVC All-Defensive Team recognition.During his three-year stint at Wyoming, Kimbrough helped lead the Cowboys to a pair of 20-win seasons, including an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in 2016-17, and developed two All-Mountain West Conference selections, Justin James and Hayden Dalton, who were honored on multiple occasions.Before heading to Wyoming, Kimbrough, a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech, spent one season at the University of Nevada, where he helped the Wolf Pack to a 24-win campaign in 2015-16. That season, Nevada captured the CBI title and also delivered four All-Mountain West Conference individual honors.Kimbrough spent the bulk of his career at Cleveland State University, where he served nine seasons as an assistant coach under Gary Waters. During his tenure with the Vikings, Kimbrough was a key part of four postseasonappearances, including a NCAA tournament and three trips to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), and CSU racked up five 20-win campaigns. He helped recruit an abundance of talent to Cleveland State, including Norris Cole, who was a 2011 NBA Draft pick, as well as NBA players Bryn Forbes, Trey Lewis and Ike Nwamu.
Jay Morris | San Diego State University
Jay Morris enters his third season as an assistant coach at San Diego State and has an extensive background in the Mountain West and West Coast basketball, havingcoached at the high school and collegiate levels.In his two seasons on the Aztec bench, the team has a 51-15 record, including a 28-8 mark in Mountain West Conference games. Last season, he helped guide the program to a 26-0 start, and distinction as thelast undefeated team in Division I.San Diego State was the only team in the country to complete the regular season with just one loss (28-1) and one of three programs to finish the year with only two losses. SDSU spent 15 weeks ranked in the national polls including 11 weeks in the AP top-10. For five weeks the squad was No. 4 and finished at No. 6, equaling its highest ranking to end a season (2010-11).Morris arrived on The Mesa from San José State, where he spent the 2017-18 campaign. In his one season in Northern California, Morris helped the Spartans improve in several statistical categories, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. SJSU finished five spots better in the Mountain West than it did in 2016-17 in field-goal percentage defense, ranking sixth and limiting foes to 43.7 percent shooting (46.0 percent in '16-17). The Spartans also finished with better conference rankings than the previous season in three-point field-goal percentage defense (8th to 4th) and scoring defense (9th to 7th). Offensively, Morris helped SJSU improve its three-point shooting as it ranked fifth in the MW in 2017-18 (.371) compared to 2016-17's seventh-place showing (.348).Prior to the 2017-18 season, Morris briefly held a non-coaching position on the Aztec staff before accepting the aforementioned full-time assistant coach job at San José State. At the time of his first stint on The Mesa, Morris was coming from Long Beach State where he was on staff with former SDSU assistant coach Rod Palmer. In his one season as the 49ers' director of player development (2016-17), he was responsible, in part, for the development of an off-court curriculum focused on developing skills and relationships that would assist student-athletes after basketball.Prior to his time at the Big West School, Morris spent the 2015-16 campaign at Nevada. In that one season, Morris helped the Wolf Pack to a 24-14 record, which was a 15-win improvement over the previous year, and to a CBI championship. On the recruiting trail, Morris was the lead recruiter for several four-star signees, leading to national recognition by a number of recruiting sites.
Shane Nichols | Murray State University
Nichols begins his sixth season with the Murray State Racers in the 2020-21season. He has been a part one of the greatest periods of program history that includes three-straight OVC regular season championships (2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20) and two OVC Tournament titles (2017-18, 2018-19). In the last three seasons, the Racers area combined 77-20 (.777) overall and 47-7 (.870) in OVC games and at home, they are44-3 (.933) in the CFSB Center. In the 2019-20 season,MSU was 23-9 and 15-3 in the OVC. The Racers were Co-OVC champions, marking the program's 27thregular season title. MSU had an 11-game winning streak overall and a 21-game home winning streak. In the 2018-19 Season,MSU had 28 wins, marking the 10th time in 94 seasons that MSU posted 25 or more victories. MSU was regular season OVC champions for 26th time & made their 17th NCAA appearance. MSU was No. 12 seed and defeated No. 5 Marquette for the Racers’ fourth all-time win in the tournament. In the 2017-18 season, the Racers were 26-6 and won the OVC regular season championship at 16-2. They competed in the NCAA Tournament in San Diego where they faced West Virginia. He has coached OVC consensus All-America selection Ja Morant and OVC Player of the Year and Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention selection Jonathan Stark and OVC Defensive Player of the Year, Shaq Buchanan and All-OVC selections Tevin Brown and KJ Williams.
Curtis Wilson | Boston University
Entering his 10th season with the Terriers, Wilson joined head coach Joe Jones and his staff in July of 2011 after working at the Ivy League's Yale University for 12 seasons, including the last five as associate head coach. During the past nineyears on Commonwealth Ave., he has helped guide BU to four postseason berths –2020 NCAA tournament, 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), 2014National Invitation Tournament(NIT) and2013 CIT.This past season, the Terriers finished tied-for-second in the Patriot League standings and ran the table in the conference tournament to claim the automatic NCAA berth. Under Wilson's tutelage, Mahoney finished the year as the fourth in program history to eclipse 1,500 points and 700 rebounds while adding Lou Henson All-America honors. BU also made history with its first-ever win against the Southeastern Conference at South Carolina.In 2017-18,BU shot46.2 percent from the field, the team's highest mark since 1993-94, and ranked tied-for-fifth in the NCAA with 11 players reaching double figures in points. Working with the post players, Wilson helped All-PL Third Team member Max Mahoney shoota school record 60.1 FG%. This past year, Mahoney broke his own record with a stellar 62.9 FG% en route to All-PL Second Team accolades.In 2016-17, the Terriers finished second in the PL standings and led a conference in defensive field goal shooting percentage (.425) for the first time since 2004-05. Despite having to use 15 different lineups as a result of injuries in 2015-16, BU averaged 73.0 points per game and shot 45.4 percent from the field, the team's highest mark since 1992-93. The 2013-14 season proved to be a memorable one for the Terriers, as they captured their first conference regular season title since 2004 and finished with 24 wins, second most in program history. BU also clinched its second consecutive postseason appearance and hosted Big Ten member Illinois on ESPN2 at Agganis Arena to open the NIT. With Wilson'sassistance, on the defensive end, BU went 17-3 when holding opponents below 70 points and led a conference in turnover margin for the first time since 2005 at +1.91. Season highlights included holding fellow Patriot League member Navy to its lowest offensive output (32) since 1943 and earning an 83-77 road win at ACC member Maryland.
Andre Gray | UNCG
Andre Gray prepares for his third season as an assistant coach on head coach Wes Miller’s staff, joining the program on May 8, 2018. The Spartans secured their fourth straight 20-plus win season in 2019-20, finishing 23-9 (13-5) and reaching the Southern Conference tournament quarterfinals. The Spartans led the nation in turnover margin (+6.4), while ranking sixth in turnovers forced per contest (18.03), total steals (299) and steals per game (9.3). UNCG held conference bests in all of those statistical categories, in addition to leading the SoCon in blocked shots per game (4.3), field goal percentage defense (42.2), offensive rebounds per game (12.88) and total blocks (138). The Spartans' 299 steals are the second-mostany UNCG squad has had in a single season.The Spartans tallied one of theirbiggest wins of the past decade in a 65-61 victory at Georgetown (11.30), and came within a buzzer beater of NC State (12.15), reaching as high as the top-50 of the national RPI.During his first season on Miller’s staff, UNCG earned a program-best 29 victories as the Spartans were named the No. 1-overall seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Three different Spartans earned postseason honors from the Southern Conference, as sophomore guard Isaiah Miller was named a SoCon first-team selection along with being SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, senior guard Francis Alonso was named a first-team All-SoCon selection by both the league’s coaches and media while junior forward James Dickey was a third-team All-SoCon selection by the media. Prior to his time with the Spartans, Gray coached three seasons with the Charlotte 49ers, and has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience. Gray is familiar with the Piedmont Triad area, having coached the 2014-15 season with the Winston-Salem State Rams, a team that won 18 games and reached the championship game of the CIAA Tournament.
Wade Mason | Stephen F. Austin University
Owning ties with SFA head coach Kyle Keller that extend back over 20 years, Wade Mason accepted a position as an assistant coach on Keller’s staff in 2016 and has since made a name for himself as a premier recruiter as well as skilled player development specialist as he enters his fifth season on staff in 2020-21. The 2019-20 team finished 28-3 overall and 19-1 in conference. Before COVID cancelled the season, they were on a 15 game winning streak heading into the Southland conference tournament. The recruiting coordinator developed Lou Henson All American Kevon Harris who was also the Southland Player of the Year. In the four seasons with Mason on staff the Lumberjacks have won 88 games including 52 conference games
Wendell Moore | Prairie View University
Wendell Moore is entering into hisfourth season as an assistant coach for the Prairie View A&M men's basketball program.During his tenure at PVAMU, Coach Moore has assisted head coach, Byron Smith to two SWAC Coach of the Year honors, two regular season SWAC championships, and an appearance inthe NCAA Tournament during the2019 season.Prairie View has an overall conference record of 43 wins and 11 loses and has the second longest active home win streak in the NCAA with 27 games.Moore also has assisted with the development of the2020 SWAC Player of the Year, Devonte Patterson and2019 Defensive POY, Dennis Jones. He also helped develop four first team All SWAC selections Zach Hamilton, Gary Blackston, Devonte Patterson, and Gerard Andrusduring the 2018-19 season.Prior to coach Moore's arrival to the Hill, spenttwo seasons as anassistant coach at Butler County Jr. College in El Dorado, KS. Moore helped Butler JC finish in two consecutive Region 6 final four appearances in their conference tournament and helped develop 1st team All Region selection, LaJuan Hardy (2015).From 2007to 2014, Coach Moore has coached at three NCAA Division I programs; the University of Tulsa, Missouri-Kansas City and Florida Atlantic University. In his two years at the University of Tulsa, Moore assisted Conference USA Coach of the Year (2014), Danny Manning with winning the regular season and tournament championship. Moore helped develop 2014 POY, James “Juice” Woodard and current undrafted NBA veteran, Shaquille Harrison.Prior to his stop at TU, Moore coached at Missouri-Kansas City from 2008 to 2012 where he has coached All Summit selection, Jay Couisnard (2011) and UMKC’s All Time Leading Rebounder, Spencer Johnson. Moore also assisted with the development of current NBA trainer, Alex Bazzel and current NBA Assistant coach, Daniel Brady (OKC Thunder).Coach Moore assisted former NBA veteran Rex Walters at Florida Atlantic University (2006 to 2008). While at FAU, Moore recruited and helped develop the Sun Belt’s all-time leading shot blocker, Brett Royster and first team All Sun Belt selections, Carlos Monroe and Deondre Rice.
Alfred Jordan | UALR
Alfred Jordan is in his third season with the Little Rock basketball program, joining head coach Darrell Walker's staff in April 2018. Jordan comes with Walker from Clark Atlanta where he spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach, the last two of which were on the same sideline as Walker. During the past two years, Jordan served as the recruiting coordinator and helped guide the Panthers to a 45-18 overall record and back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament appearances.During his eight seasons as an assistant at Clark Atlanta, Jordan has been a part of three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams, including the regular season champions in 2009-10 and the SIAC Tournament Champions in 2011and 2017. Jordan, a savvy recruiter has an eye for the hidden gems as noted with his three recruits who were the foundation for the program. Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and 1st Team All Sunbelt Ruot Monyyong, Lou Henson All American and 1st Team All Sunbelt Markquis Nowell and 3rd Team All Sunbelt Kamani Johnson. 2019-20 UALR went 21-10 winning the regular season title with a 15-5 conference record.
Anthony Soloman | University of Dayton
Anthony Solomon is in his second stint at the University of Dayton.He returned to UD as a member of Anthony Grant's staff in 2018.Previously hespent the 2007-08 season as a Flyer while a member of Brian Gregory’s staff. One of the most-respected assistant coaches in the game, Solomon’s 31-year college coaching career also includes stops at Virginia (his alma mater), Notre Dame (twice), Clemson and Georgetown.Solomon moved to the sidelines as a graduate assistant at Delaware for the 1988-89 season.He then coached at Bowling Green (1989-92), Manhattan (1992-93), Richmond (1993-94) and Virginia (1994-98).He then took an administrative position at Clemson as Assistant Athletic Director for Basketball Operations for two seasons before returning to the court as an assistant at Notre Dame (2000-03).2019-20 season witnesses arguably the best season in Dayton history as they completed the COVID shortened season 29-2 including 18-0 in the Atlantic 10 conference. The Flyers were 17-0 at home and 9-0 on road game. Solomon recruited and mentored The National Player of the Year in Obi Toppin. Toppin is expected to be a top 10 draft pick in the NBA draft
David Boyden | Radford University
David Boyden joined Radford as an assistant men's basketball coach in June 2016. In his role with the Highlanders, Boyden assists with recruiting, on-floor coaching, scouting and post player development. The 2018-19 season saw the Highlanders go 22-11 overall and 12-4 in conference play to win a share of the Big South regular season title for the first time since 2008-09. The team reached the Big South Tournament championship game for the second consecutive season as well. He also played an integral role in Radford's 2018 run to a Big South championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament that included the program's first ever NCAA Tournament victory.Following the stellar year, as the squad's 21-11 record in the 2019-20 season carried them to their second straight regular season conference title. The season featured wins over Northwestern, Richmond and James Madison. The 20-win season gave Boyden and company its third straight 20-win season –the most consecutive 20-win seasons in program history.Boyden came to the New River Valley with 10 years of prior Division I assistant coaching experience, including six seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky.With Boyden on the sidelines, Western Kentucky compiled a 124-78 overall record.In between that success, he spent the 2011-12 season at Tennessee Tech, working primarily with the post players of a Golden Eagles’ squad that posted a 19-14 mark
Tramel Barnes | San Diego State University
Tramel Barnes was announced as assistant coach June 20, 2019 and is in his second season with the Jackrabbits in 2020-21.South Dakota State went 22-10 in Petersen’s first season on the bench with three all-league performers, including the Summit League’s Freshman (Noah Freidel) and Player (Douglas Wilson) of the Year. The Jackrabbits won all 16 of their home games in 2019-20 and Henderson was named the league’s Coach of the Year.Barnes spent the 2018-19 season as the director of basketball operations and player development at Utah State after six seasons as an assistant with Southwest Minnesota State. Barnes helped the Aggies towards the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles in his lone season on the bench, as the team reached its first NCAA Tournament in eight years.He was named to the 2019 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).Barnes was the top assistant at SMSU from 2012 to 2018, helping the Mustangsto a pair of first-place finishes in the South Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in his final two years with a 53-15 record in that span. Six Mustangs earned all-conference honors and 24 were selected to the academic all-conference teams during Barnes' tenure.
Leonard Perry | University of the Pacific
Leonard Perry was named the Tigers' associate head coach in April of 2016 and enters his fifth season in 2020-21. The 2019-20 season team concluded the season 23-10 with Coach Stoudamirewinning Conference Coach of the Year. Most recently,the associate head coach at Colorado State, Perry spent four seasons with the Rams during which time Colorado State enjoyed unprecedented success. In his first year in Fort Collins, Perry was instrumental in what was then the Rams most-successful season in program history, as Colorado State went26-9, entered the AP Top25 for the first timeand advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.The Rams rewrote the record book during the 2014-15 season, startingthe season 14-0 before going on to post a 27-7 record while making the postseason for the second time in three seasons.While at Colorado State, Perry coached alongside of his long-time mentor, head coach Larry Eustachy, as the two spent four seasons at Colorado State after a one-year stint together at Southern Miss where they led the Golden Eagles into the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Southern Miss, Perry spentsix years with the Indiana Pacers serving as an assistant coach during the 2006-07 season. He then spent 2007-11 as an Advanced Scout for the Pacers. Beginning in 2008, he was in charge of NBA and NBA Developmental League Pro Scouting. Prior to Indiana, Perry was the head coach at his alma mater, Idaho, from 2001-06, where he led the Vandalsto a 48-97 record over five seasons and coached eight All-Big West honorees.Before Idaho, Perry spent six years with Eustachy at Iowa State and Utah State as both an assistant and then associate head coach with ISU.Perry helped lead the Cyclones to two NCAA Tournament Appearances, including the 2000 Big 12regular season and tournament championship and a spot in the Elite Eight.Perry was an assistant coach at Utah State from 1995-98, wherehe helped lead the Aggies to a 63-32 record, including two 20-win seasons. Utah State won back-to-back Big West Conference regular season championshipsin 1996-97 and 1997-98and made the NCAA Tournament in 1997-98
Alvin Brooks III completed his third season as an assistant coach at Baylor in 2020-2021.Brooks helped the Bears to a remarkable turnaround in his third season, as BU finished 20-14 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. BUwas picked to finish ninth out of 10 Big 12 teams, and the Bears lost their leading scorer to a season-ending injury two games into conference play. Despite injuries to three additional starters, Baylor rallied to finish fourth in the Big 12 and secured aNo. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they knocked off Syracuse in the first round. With its 2019 NCAA Tournament berth, Baylor extended its school-record to eight consecutive postseason appearances, making the Bears one of 14 teams to appear in every postseason since 2012.Brooks helped the Bears reach unprecedented heights in his first year with the program, earning the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking and a school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016-17. BU began the season with 15 consecutive wins, climbing from unranked to No. 1 nationally in an eight-week span. Baylor recorded wins over top-10 opponents three times in its first eight games, with victories over No. 4 Oregon, No. 7 Xavier and No. 10 Louisville, the last of which secured the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis title. BU also defeated No. 10 West Virginia for a school-record fourth top-10 win. The 2016-17 Bears tied a school-record with 12 Big 12 victories and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. BU defeated New Mexico State and USC to advance to the Sweet 16, and the Bears finished the season 27-8 and ranked No. 12 nationally.
Ira Bowman enters his third season as an assistant coach on Bruce Pearl’s staff. Despite the 2019-20 season being cut short, the Tigers once again had another successful campaign, going 25-6 and entertaining what would have been a third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.Bowman was instrumental in the recruitment and development of freshman phenom Isaac Okoro. Coming to Auburn as a fringe top-40 player, Okoro became the first one-and-done in program history and is an expected top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.The Tigers became one of four major programs to record three consecutive 25-win seasons, joining Duke, Kansas and Kentucky.Despite playing at one of the fastest tempos in the country, the Tigers held 29 of their 31 opponents under their scoring average in regulation.Bowman signed a consensus top-10 recruiting class, highlighted by the highest-rated recruit in program history in five-star Sharife Cooper,the third McDonald’s All-American to enroll at Auburn. In his first season at Auburn, the Tigers set a program record for wins (30), 3-pointers (454), steals (369) and blocks (190) en route to an appearance in the Final Four.Auburn earned its way to the first Final Four by way of defeating the three winningest programs in NCAA history -Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina -in consecutive games, becoming the first team ever to do so.Auburn also notched a top-10 recruiting class in November, highlighted by five four-star players. Bowman came to Auburn after spending the past six seasons at the University of Pennsylvania under head coach Steve Donahue. He was instrumental in the recruitment of team’s top players and in the on-court development of the Quakers’ perimeter players.In his last season at Penn, Bowman helped lead Penn to a 24-9 record, an Ivy League title and a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons. It was the Quakers’ first conference crown since 2006-07
Jason Williford is in his 12th year with the University of Virginia men’s basketball program. He served as an assistant men’s basketball coach for his first nine seasons before being promoted to associate head coach after the 2017-18 season. Williford is his 20th year as a men’s assistant basketball coach at the collegiate level. Willford has helped the Cavaliers capture three ACC regular-season championships, two ACC Tournament titles and six NCAA Tournament appearances in his nine seasons. UVA has won 30 or more games in three of the past five seasons and reached No. 1 in the AP rankings this season for the first time since 1982. Williford was an assistant coach at American University for four years before going to UVA and prior to that was an assistant coach at Boston University for five years. American won the Patriot League Championship and participated in the NCAA Tournament in each of his last two seasons with the program. During Williford’s final four years at Boston University, the Terriers earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002 and then participated in the National Invitation Tournament for three consecutive years.Over the last 3 seasons Williford, has helped UVA win 89 games including the 2018-19 NCAA National Championship.