Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, HoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following college basketball coaches have been named recipients of the Week 4 HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week Award, presented by Just Play Solutions. These coaches are now eligible for the HoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award, also presented by Just Play Solutions, which will be announced at the end of the 2024-25 college basketball season.
This marks the tenth season of the HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. The list of 2024-25 weekly winners, as well as the all-time COY recipients can be found below this week’s release.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The week 4 winners are:
NCAA D1: Bruce Pearl – Auburn
Coach Pearl’s Tigers made history in Hawai’i this week, picking up three more impressive wins to claim the Maui Invitational Championship and remain undefeated on the season. No. 4 Auburn trailed No. 5 Iowa State by as many as 18 on Monday before rallying back and winning by a score of 83-81 on a tip-in from Johni Broome at the buzzer. Having already beaten then-No. 4 Houston earlier in the season, Coach Pearl’s squad became the first team since the 1989-90 Kansas Jayhawks to start a season 5-0 with two wins coming against AP Top 5 – ranked teams. Back in action the following day, the Tigers took down #12 North Carolina 85-72 to advance to the final, where they faced off against Memphis. Auburn jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, coming away with a 90-76 triumph and the Maui Invitational Title. Now 7-0, the Tigers will look to keep it rolling
NCAA D2: Ben Wilkins – Seton Hill University
Coach Wilkins guided Seton Hill to a pair of solid victories this week, including one with an unforgettable ending. The Griffins took care of business on the road early in the week, defeating Pitt Greensburg 84-62 on Tuesday. Seton Hill then returned home to take on Glenville State on Saturday. Despite trailing by nine points with under two minutes remaining, the Griffins fought back and won the game in regulation on Kedrick Curtis’ ¾ court shot at the buzzer. The improbable victory improved Seton Hill to 7-2 (0-2 PSAC) on the season. They are back in action on Friday evening in a conference matchup at Millersville.
NCAA D3: Chris Bartley – Worcester Polytechnic Institute
It was another perfect week for Coach Bartley’s Engineers, as they picked up two more victories to remain unbeaten. 20th-ranked WPI hosted Fitchburg State on Tuesday, leading wire-to-wire in a 79-60 win. The Engineers then hit the road to take on fellow undefeated and 8th-ranked Tufts, coming away with a hard-fought 74-61 victory. Now 7-0 on the season, WPI is off to its best start since the 2018-19 campaign. The Engineers return to the floor on Tuesday, in a conference matchup with Salve Regina.
NAIA: Tigh Compton – University of Pikeville
Coach Compton led UPike to three more wins this week as the Bears improved to 10-1 on the season. On Tuesday, Pikeville used a huge second half to come away with a 72-64 victory over Union Commonwealth. The Bears then headed to the 2024 NAIA Basketball Showcase, “The Show,” where they defeated Saint Francis 88-75 on Saturday and IU Kokomo 77-75 on Sunday. Pikeville will look to extend their winning streak to five when they return to conference play against Kentucky Christian at home on Wednesday.
JUCO: Joey Cantens – Daytona State College
Coach Cantens’ Falcons won a pair of games over tough opponents this week at the Pensacola State Thanksgiving Classic. Daytona State utilized a strong second half to pull away from (RV) Gulf Coast State College and take a 87-66 victory on Tuesday. Facing off against #15 Tallahassee State College the following day, the Falcons put on another solid performance, coming away with a 97-78 win. Now 7-2 on the season, Daytona State will return home to take on Florida Coastal Prep on Wednesday.
2024-25 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
Week 1
Early season – no winners selected.
NCAA DI: Bill Self – Kansas
NCAA DII: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern
NCAA DIII: Steve Schweer – Illinois College
NAIA: Tony Romero – Central Christian College
JUCO: Hunter Jenkins – Frank Phillips College
NCAA DI: Ben McCollum – Drake University
NCAA DII: Justin Namolik – Shepherd University
NCAA DIII: B.J. Dunne – Gettysburg College
NAIA: Steve Drabyn – Bethel University (IN)
JUCO: Kyle Pugh – Cloud County Community College
Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 2022-23: Jerome Tang – Kansas State University
- 2021-22: Ed Cooley – Providence College
- 2020-21: Dennis Gates – Cleveland State University
- 2019-20: Joe Gallo – Merrimack College
- 2018-19: Kelvin Sampson – University of Houston
- 2017-18: Porter Moser – Loyola University Chicago
- 2016-17: Chris Collins – Northwestern University
- 2015-16: Roy Williams – University of North Carolina
Division II
- 2023-24:
- 2022-23: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern
- 2021-22: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern
- 2020-21: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
- 2019-20: Fred Watson – Miles College
- 2018-19: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
- 2017-18: Andy Bronkema – Ferris State
- 2016-17: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
- 2015-16: Josh Schertz – Lincoln Memorial University
Division III
- 2022-23: John Krikorian – Christopher Newport University
- 2021-22: Brian Baptiste – UMass Dartmouth
- 2020-21: Brooks Miller – Trine University
- 2019-20: Elliot Steinmetz – Yeshiva University
- 2018-19: Dale Wellman – Nebraska Wesleyan University
- 2017-18: Eric Bridgeland – Whitman College
- 2016-17: Stephen Brennan – Babson College
- 2015-16: John Tauer – University of St. Thomas
NAIA
- 2022-23: Chris Wright – Langston University
- 2021-22: Stacy Hollowell – Loyola University New Orleans
- 2020-21: Delano Thomas – Shawnee State University
- 2019-20: Colby Blaine – College of Idaho
- 2018-19: Chris Briggs – Georgetown College
- 2017-18: Craig Doty – Graceland University
- 2016-17: Kevin Burton – Union College
- 2015-16: Larry Cordaro – LSU-Alexandria
JUCO
- 2022-23: Rick Cabrera – Tallahassee Community College
- 2021-22: Greg Heiar – Northwest Florida State
- 2020-21: COVID Season – No winner selected
- 2019-20: Randy Casey – Milwaukee Area Technical College
- 2018-19: Billy Gillispie – Ranger College
- 2017-18: Paul Cisek – Brookdale Community College
- 2016-17: Todd Lorensen – Southwestern Community College
- 2015-16: Craig Doty – Rock Valley College
USCAA
- 2018-19: LeShawn Hammett – Penn State Wilkes-Barre
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About Just Play Solutions
Just Play Solutions has become the market leader in coaches’ workflow. A platform to help coaches prepare playbooks, automate scouting reports, research analytics, integrate and distribute video, manage recruiting workflow, and organize recruiting schedules. The end-to-end platform is used by over 700 customers across the country and internationally in football, basketball, and lacrosse.
