HoopDirt.com 2017-18 DIII Coach of the Year presented by Just Play Solutions

WHITMAN COLLEGE HEAD COACH ERIC BRIDGELAND NAMED HOOPDIRT.COM DIII COACH OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY JUST PLAY SOLUTIONS


For Immediate Release
April 11, 2018

Whitman College (WA) Head Basketball Coach Eric Bridgeland has been named as the HoopDirt.com Division III Coach of the Year presented by Just Play Solutions for the 2017-18 college basketball season. Bridgeland qualified for the award by being named as the HoopDirt.com/Just Play Solutions of the Week for Week 7 of the season.

Coach Bridgeland led Whitman to another stellar season, finishing with a record of 29-2 and going undefeated (16-0) in regular season league play for the second season in a row. The Blues entered the season at #1 in the D3hoops.com poll and did not disappoint, winning their first 26 games of the season and holding the #1 spot for all 13 weeks of the regular season and conference tournament schedule before falling in the Northwest Conference championship game. Whitman then came away with three hard-fought victories in the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual champion Nebraska Wesleyan in the Elite Eight.

Since the 2014-2015 season, Coach Bridgeland has led the Blues to a 104-14 (.881) record, trailing only Villanova in winning percentage among NCAA programs in that span. His squad has not lost a regular season conference match-up in over two seasons, and continues to hold the league’s regular season conference winning streak record (40 games). In 10 seasons at Whitman, Bridgeland has compiled a 197-77 record and has won at least 16 games in eight straight seasons. He has received numerous honors for his efforts at Whitman, most recently including the Basketball Times Division III Coach of the Year for the 2017-2018 season.

A complete list of the 2017-18 weekly winners and past Coach of the Year recipients can be found below.


[Coach of the Week/Year written and compiled by HoopDirt.com contributor AJ Nelson]


2017-18 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners

Week 1

NCAA DI: Fran Dunphy – Temple University
NCAA DII: Pryor Orser – Colorado School of Mines
NCAA DIII: Kevin Bettencourt – Endicott College (MA)
NAIA (co-winner): Wayne Wagner – Viterbo University (WI)
NAIA (co-winner): Matt O’Brien – Southwestern College (KS)
JUCO: Mark White – Tallahassee Community College

Week 2

NCAA DI: Porter Moser – Loyola University Chicago
NCAA DII: Andy Bronkema – Ferris State University (MI)
NCAA DIII: Justin Lunt – University of Puget Sound (WA)
NAIA: Keith Adkins – Life University (GA)
JUCO: Don Tuley – Seminole State College (OK)

Week 3

NCAA DI: Chris Mack – Xavier University
NCAA DII: Darrell Walker – Clark Atlanta University
NCAA DIII: Pat Juckem – University of Wisconsin-Osh Kosh
NAIA: R-Jay Barsh – Southeastern University (FL)
JUCO: Steve DeMeo – Northwest Florida State College

Week 4

NCAA DI: James Whitford – Ball State
NCAA DII: Adam Bohac – Southern Nazarene University (OK)
NCAA DIII: Hilliary Scott – Lynchburg College (VA)
NAIA: Vinay Patel – Oklahoma City University
JUCO: Tommy Guerin – Borough of Manhattan Community College

Week 5

NCAA DI: Steve Pikiell – Rutgers University
NCAA DII: Jeff Burkhamer – University of West Florida
NCAA DIII: Steve Howes – Catholic University (DC)
NAIA: Kyle Blankenship – Louisiana State University – Shreveport
JUCO: Hank Plona – Indian Hills Community College (IA)

Week 6

NCAA DI: Mike Young – Wofford College
NCAA DII: Bart Lundy – Queens University of Charlotte
NCAA DIII: Mike Schauer – Wheaton College (IL)
NAIA: Kelvin Starr – The Master’s University (CA)
JUCO: Evan Lavery – Rock Valley College (IL)

Week 7

NCAA DI: LaVall Jordan – Butler University
NCAA DII: Rodney Watson – University of Southern Indiana
NCAA DIII: Eric Bridgeland – Whitman College (WA)
NAIA: Jeff Sherman – Central Methodist University (MO)
JUCO: Brian Peabody – Pima Community College (AZ)

Week 8

NCAA DI: Tad Boyle – University of Colorado
NCAA DII: Jeff Boschee – Missouri Southern State University
NCAA DIII: Ron Rose – Illinois Wesleyan University
NAIA: Jesse Watkins – College of Coastal Georgia
JUCO: Chris Hackett – Frank Phillips College (TX)

Week 9

NCAA DI: Joe Mihalich – Hofstra University
NCAA DII: Lennie Acuff – University of Alabama Huntsville
NCAA DIII: Guy Rancourt – Lycoming College (PA)
NAIA: Paul Peck – Lindsey Wilson College (KY)
JUCO: Chris Lovell – Bossier Parrish Community College (LA)

Week 10

NCAA DI: Mike White – University of Florida
NCAA DII: Bob Pietrack – Fort Lewis College (CO)
NCAA DIII: Jeff Brown – Middlebury College (VT)
NAIA: Nelson Jones – Allen University (SC)
JUCO: Aaron Butcher – Ancilla College (IN)

Week 11

NCAA DI: Tony Bennett – University of Virginia
NCAA DII: Mike Helfer – Valdosta State (GA)
NCAA DIII: Mark Edwards – Washington University in Saint Louis
NAIA: Dante Calabria – Keiser University (FL)
JUCO: Paul Cisek – Brookdale Community College (NJ)

Week 12

NCAA DI: Mike Hopkins – University of Washington
NCAA DII: Josh Schertz – Lincoln Memorial University (TN)
NCAA DIII: Todd McGuinness – Case Western Reserve University (OH)
NAIA: Craig Doty – Graceland University (IA)
JUCO: Doug Scott – Quincy College (MA)

Week 13

NCAA DI: Chris Mullin – St. John’s University
NCAA DII: Lonn Reisman – Tarleton State University (TX)
NCAA DIII: David Hixon – Amherst College (MA)
NAIA: Tom Church – Indiana University Kokomo
JUCO: DaJuan Gouard – Danville Area Community College (IL)

Week 14

NCAA DI: Donte’ Jackson – Grambling State University
NCAA DII: Grady Brewer – Morehouse College (GA)
NCAA DIII: John Krikorian – Christopher Newport University (VA)
NAIA: Josh Gamblin – Mid-America Christian University (OK)
JUCO: Jared Phay – College of Southern Idaho

Week 15

NCAA DI: Ryan Ridder -Bethune-Cookman University
NCAA DII: Lonnie Blow, Jr. – Virginia State University
NCAA DIII: Josh Loeffler – Johns Hopkins University
NAIA: Kelly Wells – University of Pikeville (KY)
JUCO: Brent Wilson – Sullivan County CC (NY)


Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I

2016-17: Chris Collins – Northwestern University
2015-16: Roy Williams – University of North Carolina

Division II

2016-17: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
2015-16: Josh Schertz – Lincoln Memorial University (TN)

Division III

2016-17: Stephen Brennan – Babson College (MA)
2015-16: John Tauer – University of St. Thomas (MN)

NAIA
2017-18: Craig Doty – Graceland University (IA)
2016-17: Kevin Burton – Union College (KY)
2015-16: Larry Cordaro – LSU-Alexandria

JUCO

2017-18: Paul Cisek – Brookdale Community College (NJ)
2016-17: Todd LorensenSouthwestern Community College (IA)
2015-16: Craig Doty – Rock Valley College (IL)


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