For Immediate Release
April 12, 2022
By AJ Nelson, HoopDirt.com staff writer
Loyola University New Orleans head coach Stacy Hollowell has been named as the HoopDirt.com NAIA Coach of the Year presented by Just Play Solutions for the 2021-22 college basketball season. Hollowell qualified for the award by being named as the HoopDirt.com/Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week for Week 4 of the season.
Coach Hollowell led Loyola to its best-ever record this season, capped off by the program’s first National Championship since the 1944-45 campaign. The Wolf Pack finished the year with a record of 37-1, easily surpassing the program’s previous wins record of 25.
Coach Hollowell’s squad rattled off 16 straight wins to begin the year, setting another program record, and concluded the season on a 21-game winning streak. The Wolf Pack went 17-1 in the SSAC, capturing the conference’s regular season and tournament titles.
Hollowell was able to lead his team to incredible success despite significant adversity this season, including practicing in Dallas in the preseason and playing early-season home games at Tulane as a result of damage done by Hurricane Ida to Loyola’s home floor. For his efforts this season, Hollowell was honored as the NAIA Coach of the Year by the NABC, and was named as the 2022 Don Meyer National Coach of the Year. In his eight seasons with Loyola, Coach Hollowell has picked up 166 wins, placing him just eight shy of the Wolf Pack’s all-time record.
Previous Coach of the Year recipients can be found below, as well as all of this season’s Coach of the Week winners.
Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 2021-22: TBA
- 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
- 2021-22: TBA
- 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
- 2021-22: TBA
- 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
- 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
- 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
2021-22 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Gerald Gillion – Chicago State University
NCAA DII: Jeff Brookman – Anderson University
NCAA DIII: Rich Sutter – Westfield State University
NAIA: Kurt Paulson – Carroll College
JUCO: Jeremy Shulman – Eastern Florida State College
NCAA DI: Lamont Paris – Chattanooga
NCAA DII: Bart Lundy – Queens University of Charlotte
NCAA DIII: Chris Carideo – Widener University
NAIA: Chris Wright – Talladega College
JUCO: Allen Sharpe – Wallace State Community College
NCAA DI: T.J. Otzelberger – Iowa State
NCAA DII: Todd Duncan – Lubbock Christian University
NCAA DIII: Jeff Brown – Middlebury College
NAIA: Tigh Compton – University of Pikeville
JUCO: Hank Plona – Indian Hills Community College
NCAA DI: Ed Cooley – Providence College
NCAA DII: Greg Clink – Cal State Chico
NCAA DIII: Tim Fusina – Waynesburg University
NAIA: Stacy Hollowell – Loyola University New Orleans
JUCO: Kyle Taylor – Salt Lake Community College
NCAA DI: Kevin Willard – Seton Hall University
NCAA DII: Jason Taylor – Newberry College
NCAA DIII: Scott Coval – DeSales University
NAIA: Alfred Williams – Xavier University of Louisiana
JUCO: Jake Williams – Dodge City Community College
NCAA DI: Speedy Claxton – Hofstra University
NCAA DII: Justin Weick – University of Minnesota Duluth
NCAA DIII: Raul Placeres – Maryville College
NAIA: Brandon Espinosa – Paul Quinn College
JUCO: Bill Beilein – Niagara County CC
NCAA DI: Jerry Stackhouse – Vanderbilt University
NCAA DII: D2 winter break – no games played
NCAA DIII: Jimmy Smith – Trinity College (TX)
NAIA: Not enough games played (winter break + COVID cancellations)
JUCO: Not enough games played (winter break + COVID cancellations)
NCAA DI: Scott Drew – Baylor University
NCAA DII: Shawn Walker – Elizabeth City State University
NCAA DIII: Ron Rose – Illinois Wesleyan University
NAIA: Colby Blaine – The College of Idaho
JUCO: Brandon Giles – Polk State College
NCAA DI: Jim Larrañaga – University of Miami
NCAA DII: Vinay Patel – Northwestern Oklahoma State University
NCAA DIII: Todd McGuinness – Case Western Reserve University
NAIA: Lance Von Vogt – William Jessup University
JUCO: Greg Heiar – Northwest Florida State College
NCAA DI: Dana Altman – University of Oregon
NCAA DII: Craig Doty – Emporia State University
NCAA DIII: Pat Juckem – Washington University in St. Louis
NAIA: Preston Ingram – Missouri Baptist University
JUCO: Bill Morosco – Garden City CC
NCAA DI: Chris Victor – Seattle University
NCAA DII: George Suggs – McKendree University
NCAA DIII: Ryan Mee – Vassar College
NAIA: Matt O’Brien – Southwestern College
JUCO: Victor Correa – Suffolk County CC
NCAA DI: Bruce Pearl – Auburn University
NCAA DII: Bob Pietrack – Fort Lewis College
NCAA DIII: Don Friday – Penn State Harrisburg
NAIA: Kyle Blankenship – LSU Shreveport
JUCO: Mike Hunter – Lakeland CC
NCAA DI: LeVelle Moton – North Carolina Central University
NCAA DII: Matt Healing – Pace University
NCAA DIII: Brian Baptiste – UMass Dartmouth
NAIA: Stan Holt – Presentation College
JUCO: Brennan McCarthy – Northampton CC
NCAA DI: Matt McMahon – Murray State
NCAA DII: Clark Sheehy – Southwest Baptist University
NCAA DIII: Brandon Linton – Tufts University
NAIA: Donnie Bostwick – Oklahoma Wesleyan University
JUCO: Brent Wilson – SUNY Sullivan
NCAA DI: Mark Adams – Texas Tech
NCAA DII: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas
NCAA DIII: Abe Woldeslassie – Macalester College
NAIA: Javier Heridia – Indiana University Northwest
JUCO: Ryan Miley – Hocking College
NCAA DI: Randy Bennett – Saint Mary’s College
NCAA DII: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern University
NCAA DIII: Brock Erickson – Nichols College
NAIA: Kevin Burton -Union College
JUCO: Chris Neely – Monroe College-Bronx
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