Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, HoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following college basketball coaches have been named recipients of the Week 13 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 2025-26 college basketball season.
This season marks the eleventh year of the HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. This week’s winners are listed below, followed by all previous weekly honorees from earlier in the season.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The week 13 winners are:
NCAA D1: Jai Lucas – University of Miami
With two more ACC wins this past week, including a thrilling comeback victory, first-year head coach Jai Lucas and his Hurricanes have now matched Miami’s conference win total from the previous two seasons combined. On Tuesday, the Hurricanes picked up their first win over a ranked opponent in over two years when they defeated then-No.11 North Carolina 75-66 at home. Miami led for over 37 minutes in the contest and held the Tar Heels to just 26.5% from the field in the second half to propel themselves to victory. Back in action on Saturday, the Hurricanes found themselves trailing by seven at NC State with just 52 seconds remaining. From that point on, Miami went on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a trio of free throws with three seconds left to pick up an improbable 77-76 win. After inheriting a program that went 7-24 (3-17 ACC) last season, Coach Lucas has led the Hurricanes to a 20-5 (9-3 ACC) record in his first year at the helm. Miami will look for its fourth consecutive win when it hosts Virginia Tech on Tuesday night.
NCAA D2: Michael Lamberti – West Liberty University
Coach Lamberti’s Hilltoppers utilized their high-powered offense to pick up another pair of victories this past week, extending their winning streak to 11 in the process. No. 7 West Liberty trailed Frostburg State by as many as 19 early in the second half on Wednesday before fighting all the way back to come away with a 112-108 road triumph. Following the win, the Hilltoppers returned home for a top-10 showdown against No. 8 Fairmont State on Saturday. In a back and forth affair that saw 14 ties and 12 lead changes, it was West Liberty’s performance from the free throw line that made the difference, as the Hilltoppers went 33-44 (29-37 in the second half alone) from the stripe to help seal a 96-91 victory. With the wins, the Hilltoppers improved to 21-3 (16-1 MEC) on the season. They will look for their 12th consecutive win when they visit Glenville State on Wednesday.
NCAA D3: Kevin Curley – McDaniel College
Coach Curley’s squad had a week to remember, snapping a 10-year losing streak against a conference opponent and capping off an 18-point comeback with a buzzer-beater to move into sole possession of the last playoff spot in the Centennial Conference. The Green Terror defeated Johns Hopkins on the road by a score of 66-61 on Wednesday, February 11, ending a 17-game losing streak to the Blue Jays that dated back almost 10 years exactly (last win was Feb. 10, 2016). After the win, McDaniel returned home for its final home contest of the season – a Saturday afternoon showdown with Dickinson. The Green Terror trailed by as many as 18 in the second half, but used an 18-0 run across six minutes to close the gap. After the visitors regained a one-point lead with three seconds remaining, McDaniel sophomore Ashenafi Stuart drilled a shot from half court as time expired to propel the Green Terror to a thrilling 66-64 victory. Now 15-8 (5-6 CC) on the season, McDaniel will look to hold onto its playoff spot as it closes out the regular season with a pair of road games against Gettysburg and Muhlenberg on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
NAIA: Drew Stutts – Freed-Hardeman University
Coach Stutts guided No. 1 Freed-Hardeman to another pair of double-digit victories this past week, joining his sister Abby as HoopDirt/WHoopdirt.com Coach of the Week award recipients this season. On Thursday, the Lions claimed the Mid-South Conference regular season title with an 87-56 home win over Lindsey Wilson. Freed-Hardeman held the visitors to just 29.5% from the field in the blowout victory. The Lions then fended off a second half comeback attempt by Campbellsville on Saturday, picking up a 75-64 triumph to extend their program-record winning streak to 23 games, with every win during the streak, and on the season as a whole, coming by double-digits. The Stutts family are no strangers to the HoopDirt/WHoopdirt.com Coach of the Week Award, as Coach Stutts’ sister Abby, who leads the Freed-Hardeman women’s program, was named WhoopDirt.com’s Week 8 NAIA Coach of the Week. With a record of 26-1 (11-0 MSC) on the season, Coach Stutts’ Lions will look to close out the regular season on a high note when they host Cumberland on Thursday.
JUCO: Matt Lynch – University of South Carolina Salkehatchie
Coach Lynch’s USC Salkehatchie squad’s explosive offense was on full display this past week, as the Indians topped 100 points in each of their three victories. USC Salk began the week firing on all cylinders, scoring 73 points in the first half of a 142-89 victory over Cape Fear. The Indians then hit the road to take on Denmark Tech on Thursday, picking up a 124-112 triumph for win No. 20 on the season. USC Salk then capped off the week with a 103-85 home win against Wake Tech on Saturday. Through 25 games, the Indians are 21-4 and averaging a nation-best 103.0 points per game. Following a loss to begin the current week, they will look to get back on track when they visit Cape Fear on Wednesday evening.
2025-26 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Tommy Lloyd – University of Arizona
NCAA DII: Andre Cook – St. Edward’s University
NCAA DIII: Ron Rose – Illinois Wesleyan University
NAIA: Taylor Jarvis – Missouri Baptist University
JUCO: Tae Norwood – Palm Beach State College
NCAA DI: Dusty May – University of Michigan
NCAA DII: Keffrey Fazio – Seattle Pacific University
NCAA DIII: Waleed Farid – New York University
NAIA: Tigh Compton – University of Pikeville
JUCO: Jerry Nichols – Walters State Community College
NCAA DI: Jon Scheyer – Duke University
NCAA DII: Brent Owen – Lenoir-Rhyne University
NCAA DIII: Dean Burrows – Mississippi University for Women
NAIA: Frank Woodford – Benedictine University – Mesa
JUCO: Bryan Bender – Ellsworth Community College
NCAA DI: Frank Martin – University of Massachusetts – Amherst
NCAA DII: Mike MacDonald – Daemen University
NCAA DIII: Anthony Medina – University of St. Thomas (TX)
NAIA: Kevin Williamson – Dakota State University
JUCO: Joey Cantens – Daytona State College
NCAA DI: Chris Victor – Seattle University
NCAA DII: Easton Bazzoli – Gannon University
NCAA DIII: Eric Bridgeland – University of Redlands
NAIA: Scott Moore – Grace College
JUCO: Andrew May – Snow College
Week 6
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
Week 7
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
NCAA DI: Travis Steele – Miami University (OH)
NCAA DII: Bryan Rooney – California State University, East Bay
NCAA DIII: Jeff Gard – University of Wisconsin – Platteville
NAIA: Leonard Epps – Brewton-Parker Christian University
JUCO: Andrew May – Blake Sandquist – Des Moines Area Community College
NCAA DI: Grant McCasland – Texas Tech University
NCAA DII: Blake Mellinger – UVA Wise
NCAA DIII: James Cosgrove – Trinity College
NAIA: Greg Tonagel – Indiana Wesleyan University
JUCO: Kyle Pugh – Cloud County Community College
NCAA DI: Fred Hoiberg – University of Nebraska
NCAA DII: Justin Mann – University of West Florida
NCAA DIII: Joe Reilly – Wesleyan University
NAIA: Fred Lymas – Shawnee State University
JUCO: Steve DeMeo – Northwest Florida State College
NCAA DI: Josh Schertz – Saint Louis University
NCAA DII: Brett Ballard – Washburn University
NCAA DIII: Justin Lunt – Pacific University (OR)
NAIA: David Osborn – Trinity Christian University
JUCO: Jai Steadman – Independence Community College
NCAA DI: Shantay Legans – University of Portland
NCAA DII: Mike Helfer – Valdosta State University
NCAA DIII: Jason Zimmerman – Emory University
NAIA: Marcus “Chief” Bryant – Keiser University
JUCO: Robert Byrd – Kilgore College
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About Just Play Solutions
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