WEEK 10: 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 10 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 10 winners are:

NCAA D1: Mike White – University of Georgia

Coach White’s Bulldogs had a huge week, taking down back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign. Georgia hosted No. 6 Kentucky on Tuesday, jumping out to a 13-point halftime lead and never looking back en route to an 82-69 victory. The win marked the Bulldogs first over a top-10 team since 2020, and was their highest-ranked win since defeating No. 5 Kentucky in 2004. Back in action on Saturday, Georgia found itself trailing by three at the half against No. 17 Oklahoma. The Bulldogs outscored the visitors by 13 in the second half, however, on the way to a 72-62 win. Now 14-2 (2-1 SEC) on the season, Georgia will have a chance to extend its winning streak over ranked opponents to three when it takes on No. 1 Tennessee in Knoxville on Wednesday.

NCAA D2: Easton Bazzoli – Gannon University

In his first year at the helm, Coach Bazzoli has Gannon firing on all cylinders, as the Golden Knights picked up another pair of impressive victories this week. Gannon began the week on the road at Indiana (PA), defeating the hosts 89-82 in a game that featured 13 lead changes. The Golden Knights, ranked No. 9 in the latest D2CSC poll, were back on the road on Saturday for a matchup against Edinboro. Gannon trailed 56-35 late in the first half, and 83-70 with 6:42 remaining in the contest. From that point on, the Golden Knights would go on an incredible 30-1 run to close out the game and come away with a 100-84 victory. After two losses to begin the season, Coach Bazzoli has led Gannon to 14 consecutive wins. The Golden Knights will look to make it 15 straight when they host Slippery Rock on Wednesday night.

NCAA D3: Michael McSloy – Drew University

Coach McSloy led Drew to a pair of double-digit comebacks this week as the Rangers took over sole possession of first place in the Landmark Conference. Hosting Susquehanna on Wednesday, the Rangers trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, but fought back and eventually pulled away late to take an 82-68 victory. Drew then hit the road to close out the week with a matchup at No. 21 Catholic. Down 16 with just over 10 minutes remaining, the Rangers were able to cut into the deficit, but still found themselves trailing by eight with just one minute to go. Drew then went on a 11-3 run, including a buzzer-beating three, to force overtime, where they came away with a thrilling 76-71 victory. Now 10-3 (6-0 Landmark) on the season, the Rangers have tied their best start in conference play since the 2018-19 season. They will return to action on Wednesday when they host Wilkes in a conference matchup.

NAIA: Jesse McClung – Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Coach McClung’s squad continued to make program history this week, picking up two more victories to extend their winning streak to a program-best 14 games. On Wednesday, the Pomeroys led IU-Columbus by 25 at the half on the way to a 96-57 triumph. Closing out the week on the road on Saturday, SMWC was up as many as 23 in the second half of a 79-67 victory over Oakland City. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Pomeroys have won 12 of their last 14 by double-digits. They will look to move to 15-2 on the season when they travel to take on IU-Kokomo on Tuesday evening.

JUCO: Kyle Isaacs – Arizona Western College

Back in action after an almost three-week layoff, Coach Isaacs’ Matadors picked up right where they left off, grabbing another pair of impressive road victories. On Wednesday, Arizona Western took down Central Arizona by a score of 91-70 despite the game being tied at the half. The Matadors then carried that second-half momentum into Saturday’s matchup at conference-leading College of Southern Nevada, pulling out a hard-fought 73-68 victory and handing the hosts their first conference loss of the season. Now 13-4 (4-2 ACCAC) on the season, AWC will look to make it five consecutive wins when they face off against Eastern Arizona 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

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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