WEEK 12: HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Just Play

Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, HoopDirt.com

BOSTON, MA – The following college basketball coaches have been named recipients of the Week 12 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 12 winners are:

NCAA D1: Daniyal Robinson – Cleveland State University

Coach Robinson’s Vikings continued their torrid run this week, winning another pair of conference matchups. Cleveland State trailed Detroit Mercy by five at halftime on Wednesday, but held the visitors to just 16 second-half points en route to a 65-50 victory. The Vikings used another big second half on Saturday to pull away from Green Bay and pick up an 81-66 win. The victory was the 12th straight for the Vikings – their longest streak since 2011 and the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Duke, who has won 13 in a row. Now 16-6 (10-1 Horizon) on the season, Cleveland State will try to keep it rolling when it travels to take on Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday night.

NCAA D2: Brent Owen – Lenoir-Rhyne University

In his first year at the helm, Coach Owen has the Bears firing on all cylinders as they picked up two more wins this week. No. 18 Lenoir-Rhyne opened the week at home, dominating Limestone 90-62 on Wednesday before hitting the road to take on Tusculum on Saturday. The Bears won 79-72, improving to 16-3 (13-2 SAC) on the season for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. The victory also pushed Lenoir-Rhyne into first place in the SAC. Next up for the Bears is a road matchup against Wingate on Wednesday evening.

NCAA D3: Jean Bain – Brandeis University

Coach Bain’s Judges put on a pair of offensive showcases this week as they picked up two big road wins. Brandeis shot 23-32 (71.9%) from the field in the first half of a 101-93 victory over Case Western Reserve on Friday. Back in action on Sunday, the Judges continued their hot shooting – going 14-28 from three in a 92-76 triumph over Carnegie Mellon. The victories improved Brandeis to 12-4 (3-2 UAA) on the season. Also of note, Brandeis had never swept a Case Western Reserve/Carnegie Mellon road trip before. The Judges will be back on the road next weekend, as they face off against WashU on Friday and Chicago on Sunday.

NAIA: Josh Gamblin – Mid-America Christian University

It was a week to remember for Coach Gamblin, as he picked up a milestone victory as part of a trio of wins. The Evangels opened the week on Monday with a showdown against No. 8 Langston, who boasted the top scoring defense in the NAIA (58.7 ppg allowed). MACU shot an incredible 60.4% from the field en route to a huge 88-67 triumph. The Evangels stayed hot the following contest, jumping out to a 27-point halftime lead and never looking back in a 102-61 victory over SW Christian on Thursday. They then capped off the week with a 69-48 home victory over Oklahoma City. The win marked No. 200 for Coach Gamblin, who has spent his entire 10-year head-coaching career with MACU. He has compiled an impressive record of 200-103 in his time with the Evangels. MACU returns to action on Thursday when it hosts John Brown at 8PM.

JUCO: Brian Peabody – Pima Community College

Coach Peabody’s Aztecs won two more contests this week to remain unbeaten on the campaign. No. 5 Pima Community College began the week on the road, leading South Mountain CC by as many as 34 en route to a 102-77 victory. Returning home on Saturday, the Aztecs pulled away from Glendale Community College late to come away with a 91-68 win and improve to 22-0 on the season. Of Pima’s 22 victories, 19 have come by double-digits. The Aztecs will look to close out January with their perfect record intact when they host Mesa Community College on Wednesday.

2024-25 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners

Week 1

Early season – no winners selected.

Week 2

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

Week 3

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

Week 4

NCAA DI: Bruce Pearl – Auburn University
NCAA DII:  Ben Wilkins – Seton Hill University
NCAA DIII: Chris Bartley – Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NAIA: Tigh Compton – University of Pikeville
JUCO: Joey Cantens – Daytona State College

Week 5

NCAA DI: Dennis Gates – University of Missouri
NCAA DII:  Michael Lamberti – Coker University
NCAA DIII: Kent Dernbach – University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
NAIA: Clint Galyean – Wayland Baptist University
JUCO: Cole Dewey – Indian Hills Community College

Week 6

NCAA DI: Anthony Grant – University of Dayton
NCAA DII:  Matt Healing – Pace University
NCAA DIII: Jesse DeLoof – University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
NAIA: Brian Van Haaften – Dordt University
JUCO: Luke Mackay – New Mexico Junior College

Week 7

Winter Break – No winners selected

Week 8

Winter Break – No winners selected

Week 9

NCAA DI: Chris Crutchfield – University of Nebraska Omaha
NCAA DII:  Bill Walker – Missouri University of Science and Technology
NCAA DIII: John Krikorian – Christopher Newport University
NAIA: Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain College
JUCO: Andrew May – Snow College

Week 10

NCAA DI: Mike White – University of Georgia
NCAA DII:  Easton Bazzoli – Gannon University
NCAA DIII: Michael McSloy – Drew University
NAIA: Jesse McClung – Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
JUCO: Kyle Isaacs – Arizona Western College

Week 11

NCAA DI: Pat Kelsey – University of Louisville
NCAA DII:  Mike MacDonald – Daemen University
NCAA DIII: Brandon Linton – Tufts University
NAIA: Jordan Ashton – William Woods University
JUCO: Pete Pena – Pensacola State College

Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I

Division II

Division III

NAIA

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

About HoopDirt.com

HoopDirt.com is the largest website in the country dedicated specifically to college basketball coaching news, jobs, and rumors at all levels. HoopDirt.com brings a unique insider perspective to the world of college basketball coaching – it was founded by college coaches as a way to help the college basketball community stay informed of what is going on in the coaching profession.

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.

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