By AJ Nelson, HoopDirt.com staff writer
Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 13 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 2019-20 college basketball season.
This is the fifth season that HoopDirt.com has run the Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. The previous 2019-20 weekly winners, and a list of all-time COY winners can be found following this weeks honorees.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The Week 13 winners are:
NCAA DI: David Cox – University of Rhode Island
Another 2-0 week for Coach Cox and his squad as they stayed hot with their 9th and 10th straight wins. The Rams began the week at UMass on Tuesday, where they opened the game on a 10-2 run and held the lead the entire way en route to a 73-67 win. Cox and his crew then traveled to George Washington on Saturday where they again led from start to finish as they pounded the Colonials 82-51. URI is now 18-5 (10-1) and sit just one game out of first place in the A-10. They have a big-time match-up on tap for Tuesday, as they travel to league leader Dayton (21-2 / 10-0).
NCAA DII: Mike Helfer – Valdosta State University (GA)
Coach Helfer and his high scoring Blazers continued their winning ways as they went 2-0 on the week while averaging 111.5ppg during those wins. Friday night, VSU downed Shorter 118-83, in a game where they set seasons highs for points, field goals made (49), and field goal % (.620). It was also the most points scored in the Gulf South Conference this season. The #18 Blazers followed that one up the next day with a 105-83 win against visiting West Georgia for their 11th straight win, which pushed their record to 18-3 (12-2). Helfer’s squad will look to stay hot when they travel to Mississippi College on Thursday.NCAA DIII: Matt Hunter – York College (PA)
A 2-0 week has now run York’s winning streak to eight games, as Coach Hunter and his team had a big road win, and a 2OT thriller at home. After trailing Salisbury by one at the half on Wednesday, the Spartans shot 56% from the field in the second half (60% from 3), en route to an 85-78 win. Saturday, in a battle for first place in the Capital Athletic Conference, York outlasted Christopher Newport in double overtime and came away with a 101-97 win. The victory snapped CNU’s 11-game winning streak, and the two teams are now tied for first in the league with identical 7-1 CAC records.
NAIA: Austin Johnson – Lewis-Clark State College (ID)
Fifth ranked Lewis-Clark State had another big week as two more wins raised their record to 23-1 (11-1 Frontier Conference). The Warriors avenged their only loss of the season, as they wallopped #17 Carroll College 78-51 on Friday night. Johnson’s crew then turned around the next day, and slugged it out with Montana Tech, where they pulled away in the second half for a 81-67 win. The Warriors will look to stay hot when they host No. 11 University of Providence (MT) on Thursday.
JUCO: Matthew St. Croix – Mohawk Valley Community College (NY)
Mohawk Valley had a big-time 4-0 week, where they averaged 108 points per game, and improved their record to 23-2 (13-0). St. Croix and his Hawks also pushed their winning streak to eleven games, after winning four games in six days. With back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday, MVCC knocked off North Country CC at home 106-78, then Columbia-Green on the road 120-100. Over the weekend, the beat Fulton-Montgomery CC 109-84, and then routed Clinton CC 98-55 to wrap up the busy week.
2019-20 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Walter McCarty – University of Evansville
NCAA DII: Mark Downey – Northeastern State (OK)
NCAA DIII: Josh Merkel – Randolph-Macon College (VA)
NAIA: Kelly Wells – University of Pikeville (KY)
JUCO: Kyle Cooper – Western Texas College
NCAA DI: Tony Bennett – University of Virginia
NCAA DII: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas College (NY)
NCAA DIII: Bosko Djurickovic – Carthage College (WI)
NAIA: Stacy Hollowell – Loyola University (LA)
JUCO: Anthony Fletcher – Eastfield College (TX)
NCAA DI: Juwan Howard – University of Michigan
NCAA DII: Matt Healing – Pace University (NY)
NCAA DIII: Keith Bunkenburg – Benedictine University (IL)
NAIA: Todd Lorensen – Mount Marty College (SD)
JUCO: Cole Dewey – Otero Junior College (CO)
NCAA DI: LaVall Jordan – Butler University
NCAA DII: Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern College
NCAA DIII: Landry Kosmalski – Swarthmore College (NY)
NAIA: Tae Norwood – Keiser University (FL)
JUCO: Billy Gillispie – Ranger College (TX)
NCAA DI: Ritchie McKay – Liberty University
NCAA DII: Tom Klusman – Rollins College (FL)
NCAA DIII: Dave Niland – Penn State-Behrand
NAIA: Aaron Siebenthall – Ottawa University (KS)
JUCO: Brennan McCarthy – Northampton Community College (PA)
NCAA DI: Steve Forbes – East Tennessee State University
NCAA DII: Damien Blair – West Chester University (PA)
NCAA DIII: Anthony Medina – University of St. Thomas (TX)
NAIA: Colby Blaine – College of Idaho
JUCO: Terry Bowe – Lakeland Community College (OH)
NCAA DI: Kelvin Sampson – University of Houston
NCAA DII: DII Winter Break Week – No Winner
NCAA DIII: Pete Moran – John Carroll University (OH)
NAIA: Matt Wilber – Dakota Wesleyan University
JUCO: Eric Murphy – Florida SouthWestern State University
NCAA DI: Brian Dutcher – San Diego State University
NCAA DII: Kyle Gerdeman – Lindenwood University (MO)
NCAA DIII: Jeff Brown – Middlebury College (VT)
NAIA: Patrick Crarey – Washington Adventist University (MD)
JUCO: Luke Strege – Mineral Area College (MO)
NCAA DI: Scott Drew – Baylor University
NCAA DII: Eric Olen – University of California, San Diego
NCAA DIII: Jim Calhoun – University of Saint Joseph (CT)
NAIA: Preston Ingram – Missouri Baptist University
JUCO: Zach Settembre – Tallahassee Community College (FL)
NCAA DI: Nate Oats – University of Alabama
NCAA DII: Bart Lundy – Queens University of Charlotte
NCAA DIII: Jean Bain – Brandeis University (MA)
NAIA: Josh Gamblin – Mid-America Christian University
JUCO: Pat Smith – Moberly Area Community College
NCAA DI: Anthony Grant – University of Dayton
NCAA DII: Matt Majkrzak – Northern Michigan University
NCAA DIII: Damien Strahorn Colby College (ME)
NAIA: Chris Briggs – Georgetown College (KY)
JUCO: Carl Howell – Skagit Valley College (WA)
NCAA DI: Joe Gallo – Merrimack College
NCAA DII: Matt Brock – University of Illinois-Springfield
NCAA DIII: Elliot Steinmetz – Yeshiva University (NY)
NAIA: Alfred Williams – Xavier University of Louisiana
JUCO: Kevin O’Connor – Murray State College (OK)
Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 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
- 2018-19: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
- 2017-18: Andy Bronkema – Ferris State (MI)
- 2016-17: Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State
- 2015-16: Josh Schertz – Lincoln Memorial University (TN)
Division III
- 2018-19: Dale Wellman – Nebraska Wesleyan University
- 2017-18: Eric Bridgeland – Whitman College (WA)
- 2016-17: Stephen Brennan – Babson College (MA)
- 2015-16: John Tauer – University of St. Thomas (MN)
NAIA
- 2018-19: Chris Briggs – Georgetown College (KY)
- 2017-18: Craig Doty – Graceland University (IA)
- 2016-17: Kevin Burton – Union College (KY)
- 2015-16: Larry Cordaro – LSU-Alexandria
JUCO
- 2018-19: Billy Gillispie – Ranger College (TX)
- 2017-18: Paul Cisek – Brookdale Community College (NJ)
- 2016-17: Todd Lorensen – Southwestern Community College (IA)
- 2015-16: Craig Doty – Rock Valley College (IL)
USCAA
- 2018-19: LeShawn Hammett – Penn State Wilkes-Barre
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