WEEK 11: HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Just Play Solutions

Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)


Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 11 HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Just Play Solutions. These coaches are now eligible to receive the HoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award presented by Just Play Solutions which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2023-24 college basketball season.

This is the ninth season that HoopDirt.com has run the Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. The list of 2023-24 Coach of the Week winners, as well as the list of all-time COY winners can be found following this week’s honorees.

To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).

The week 11 winners are:


D1: Amir Abdur-Rahim – University of South Florida

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (11-5)

Past week’s results: 74-73 W at #10 Memphis, 72-68 W vs Wichita State

Highlights: South Florida rallied from down 20 at #10 Memphis on Thursday to escape with a 74-73 win. The Bulls win was their first vs a ranked opponent since 2012, and the first time they have knocked off a top-ten team since 2010. The win also snapped Memphis’ 10-game win streak, and was the second largest come from behind win in USF program history. Abdur-Rahim’s squad completed their undefeated week on Sunday, beating Wichita State 72-68. It was the third straight game in which the Bulls trailed at the half and came back to claim the victory. USF is now 4-1 in the American, and 9-2 at home on the season.


NCAA D2: Mike Nestor – Lock Haven University

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (10-5)

Past week’s results: 75-70 W at #8 East Stroudsburg, 84-72 W vs Shepherd

Highlights: A big week for Nestor and his Bald Eagles, as they knocked off a nationally ranked team and increased their win streak to six games. Lock Haven held the PSAC’s leading offensive team #8 East Stroudsburg to 18 points below their season average as they pulled out the upset on the road 75-70 on Wednesday. The Bald Eagles then beat Shepherd 84-72 on Saturday in a game where they shot 54.7% from the field, and 56.5% from three on the day. In addition to their 6 game win streak, LHU is also 8-2 in the PSAC, and 5-1 at home this year.


NCAA D3: Dave Klatsky – NYU

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (13-3)

Past week’s results: 65-64 W vs #14 WashU, 83-77 (OT) W vs Chicago

Highlights: Klatsky and his NYU crew pulled out two tough UAA victories at home last week. The NCAA D3 #13 ranked Violets trailed #14 WashU by as many as 14 in the first half, and by 10 with just over four minutes left in the game on Friday. The Violets rallied and took their first and only lead of the game with just :36 seconds left, and held on for a 65-64 win. NYU then found themselves trailing late in the game again on Sunday vs Chicago, as they were behind by 4 with 1:53 remaining. A layup with 11 seconds to go for NYU tied the game and forced the extra period, where they pulled away to secure the 83-77 victory. The Violets are now 13-3 (3-2 UAA) on the season, and hold a 9-1 home mark.


NAIA: Robert Ford – Saint Xavier University

Weekly record (overall): 3-0 (12-6)

Past week’s results: 80-79 W at Calumet, 77-75 W vs St. Francis (IL), 76-75 W vs #22 Olivet Nazarene

Highlights: What a week for SXU, as they won three CCAC games by a combined total of four points. On Monday, they knocked down two free throws with :55 seconds remaining, then left the rest to their defense, as they came away with an 80-79 win at Calumet College of St. Joseph. Late free throws were again the name of the game on Wednesday, as the Cougars drained four FT’s in the final :17 seconds to come away with a 77-75 win vs St. Francis (IL). The biggest win of the week however came on Saturday, when SXU, trailing by two, made a basket and got fouled with .03 remaining vs NAIA #22 Olivet Nazarene. The completion of the three point play gave the Cougars the upset, which snapped SXU’s 10-game losing streak ONU. It was also SXU’s first win over Olivet Nazarene since 2018, and the first win at home vs the Tigers since 2012.


JUCO: Donnie Tyndall – Chipola College

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (19-1)

Past week’s results: 66-57 W vs Pensacola State, 76-72 W vs Gulf Coast State

Highlights: Tyndall has Chipola rolling as they are now 19-1 on the season with two more wins last week. On Wednesday, the NJCAA D1 #7 Indians rallied from an 11-point deficit with just over 15-minutes left to play, to beat Pensacola State 76-72. That was as the 28th straight home victory for Chipola, and also win #100 for Tyndall during his tenure at the school. On Saturday, Chipola drained four free throws with under :20 seconds remaining in the game to hold on for a 76-72 win on the road at Gulf Coast State. The Indians are now on a 10-game winning streak, 12-0 at home, and in sole possession of first place in the Panhandle Conference with a 3-0 record.


2023-24 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners

Week 1

NCAA DI: Mark Byington – James Madison University
NCAA DII: Alfred Jordan – Clark Atlanta University
NCAA DIII: Caleb Kimbrough – Hampden-Sydney College
NAIA: Darnell Archey – University of Mobile
JUCO: Kris Baumann – Odessa College

Week 2

NCAA DI: Ritchie McKay – Liberty University
NCAA DII: Mark Kuntz – Post University
NCAA DIII: Eric Bridgeland – University of Redlands
NAIA: Dannton Jackson – Talladega College
JUCO: Dillon Hargrove – National Park College

Week 3

NCAA DI: David Ragland – Evansville University
NCAA DII: Jordan Fee – Gannon University
NCAA DIII: Anthony Medina – University of St. Thomas (TX)
NAIA: Chase Teichmann – Florida College
JUCO: Hayden Sowers – South Plains College

Week 4

NCAA DI: Damon Stoudamire – Georgia Tech
NCAA DII: John Ellenwood – Ashland University
NCAA DIII: Brandon Linton – Tufts University
NAIA: Matt O’Brien – Southwestern College
JUCO: Darren Stratton – Northern Essex CC

Week 5

NCAA DI: Bryce Drew – Grand Canyon University
NCAA DII: Bob Pietrack – Fort Lewis College
NCAA DIII: Michael McSloy – Drew University
NAIA: Tigh Compton – University of Pikeville
JUCO: Terrell Harris – Prince George’s CC

Week 6

NCAA DI: Danny Sprinkle – Utah State University
NCAA DII: Artis Mattox – Benedict College
NCAA DIII: Dave Macedo – Virginia Wesleyan University
NAIA: Chris Wright – Langston University
JUCO: Joey Cantens – Daytona State College

Week 7

NCAA DI: Christmas Holiday – no winner selected
NCAA DII: Christmas Holiday – no winner selected
NCAA DIII: Christmas Holiday – no winner selected
NAIA: Christmas Holiday – no winner selected
JUCO: Christmas Holiday – no winner selected

Week 8

NCAA DI: Shaka Smart – Marquette University
NCAA DII: Bryan Rooney – Cal State East Bay
NCAA DIII: Todd McGuinness – Case Western Reserve University
NAIA: Scott Moore – Grace College
JUCO: Steve DeMeo – Northwest Florida State College

Week 9

NCAA DI: Shaheen Holloway – Seton Hall University
NCAA DII: Matt Majkrzak – Northern Michigan University
NCAA DIII: Jimmy Smith – Trinity College (TX)
NAIA: Josh Pickens – Lawrence Tech
JUCO: Matt Lee – Herkimer College

Week 10

NCAA DI: Darian DeVries – Drake University
NCAA DII: Dave Moore – University of West Georgia
NCAA DIII: D.P. Harris – Saint Vincent College
NAIA: Dee Brown – Roosevelt University
JUCO: Ryan Miley – Hocking College


Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I

Division II

Division III

NAIA

JUCO

  • 2022-23Rick Cabrera – Tallahassee Community College
  • 2021-22Greg 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