Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, HoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following college basketball coaches have been named recipients of the Week 16 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 16 winners are:
NCAA D1: Kevin Young – Brigham Young University
Coach Young’s Cougars had a historic week, defeating two ranked teams in consecutive games for the first time since 1988. BYU began its week on Tuesday by defeating No. 23 Kansas 91-57 – the program’s largest all-time margin of victory over a ranked opponent. The Cougars then traveled to take on No. 19 Arizona after the big win and found themselves in a much tighter contest. With two free throws in the final seconds, BYU pulled out a 96-95 victory in a game that featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties. In his first year at the helm, Coach Young has the Cougars firing on all cylinders, as they have now won four straight to improve to 19-8 (9-5 Big 12) overall. BYU next faces off against Arizona State on the road on Wednesday.
NCAA D2: Mick Hedgepeth – University of Alabama in Huntsville
Coach Hedgepeth led Alabama Huntsville to a pair of hard-fought victories this week as the Chargers extended their winning streak to 26 games. On Thursday, 3rd-ranked UAH defeated Auburn Montgomery 106-104 to pick up their program-record 20th conference win of the season. Back in action on Saturday, the Chargers grabbed a 96-88 win over Montevallo for win No. 26 in a row – the longest streak in UAH history across all sports. After dropping the season opener by one point in overtime, the Cougars have yet to lose in Coach Hedgepeth’s first year at the helm. They will look to maintain their streak when they close out the regular season at West Alabama on Thursday.
NCAA D3: Donald Morris, Jr. – Framingham State University
Coach Morris’ squad closed out the regular season with two more victories this week to record their highest win total since 2010. The Rams began their week at home on Wednesday, out-rebounding Worcester State 44-29 en route to a 79-74 victory. Framingham State then finished out the regular season with a 65-60 triumph at Fitchburg State on Saturday. With the wins, the Rams enter the MASCAC playoffs with a 12-13 (6-6 MASCAC) record. They will host a playoff game for the first time since 2010 when they face off against Bridgewater State on Tuesday.
NAIA: Mike Hunter – Shawnee State University
After starting conference play 0-3, Coach Hunter’s Bears went on to pick up wins in 11 of their next 13 games, including two this week, to claim the River States Conference East Division title. Shawnee State trailed Midway by five with under a minute remaining on Tuesday, but fought back and drilled a buzzer-beating three to secure a 77-76 road victory. The thrilling win put the Bears in position to claim the RSC East Division title in the final game of the regular season on Saturday. Shawnee State did exactly that, defeating Alice Lloyd 79-70 to complete their worst-to-first journey. Now 16-12 (11-5 RSC) on the season, the Bears will host Indiana Southeast in the RSC Quarterfinals on Wednesday evening.
JUCO: Tae Norwood – Palm Beach State College
Coach Norwood’s Panthers closed out the regular season on a high note, winning another pair of games, including one over a top-10 opponent. Palm Beach State began its week by hosting No. 7 FSC Jacksonville, who entered the matchup undefeated in conference play and riding a 12-game winning streak. The Panthers picked up a 76-73 victory in overtime, avenging a 40-point loss to the visitors earlier in the month and a 41-point loss in January. Back in action on Saturday, Palm Beach State defeated Pasco-Hernando 95-76 to finish out the regular season on a four game winning streak. The Panthers will now head into their region tournament with an overall record of 20-10.
2024-25 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
Week 1
Early season – no winners selected.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Week 10
NCAA DI: Mike White – University of Georgia
NCAA DII: Easton Bazzoli – Gannon University
NCAA DIII: Michael McSloy – Drew University
NAIA: Jesse McClung – Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
JUCO: Kyle Isaacs – Arizona Western College
Week 11
NCAA DI: Pat Kelsey – University of Louisville
NCAA DII: Mike MacDonald – Daemen University
NCAA DIII: Brandon Linton – Tufts University
NAIA: Jordan Ashton – William Woods University
JUCO: Pete Pena – Pensacola State College
NCAA DI: Daniyal Robinson – Cleveland State University
NCAA DII: Brent Owen – Lenoir-Rhyne University
NCAA DIII: Jean Bain – Brandeis University
NAIA: Josh Gamblin – Mid-America Christian University
JUCO: Brian Peabody – Pima Community College
NCAA DI: Jerome Tang – Kansas State University
NCAA DII: Brett Ballard – Washburn University
NCAA DIII: Joe Reilly – Wesleyan University
NAIA: Delton Deal – Nelson University
JUCO: Matt Lynch – University of South Carolina Salkehatchie
NCAA DI: Rick Pitino – St. John’s University
NCAA DII: Blake Flickner – Dallas Baptist University
NCAA DIII: Steve Djurickovic – Carthage College
NAIA: Jeff Britt – Bethel University (TN)
JUCO: Brennan McCarthy – Northampton Community College
NCAA DI: Tony Skinn – George Mason University
NCAA DII: Jeremiah Samarrippas – Lincoln Memorial University
NCAA DIII: Dan Kane – University of Maine at Presque Isle
NAIA: Marcus Bryant – Keiser University
JUCO: Darren Stratton – Northern Essex Community College
Previous HoopDirt.com Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 2022-23: Jerome Tang – Kansas State University
- 2021-22: Ed Cooley – Providence College
- 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
- 2023-24:
- 2022-23: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern
- 2021-22: Jim Crutchfield – Nova Southeastern
- 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
- 2022-23: John Krikorian – Christopher Newport University
- 2021-22: Brian Baptiste – UMass Dartmouth
- 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
- 2022-23: Chris Wright – Langston University
- 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
- 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
- 2018-19: LeShawn Hammett – Penn State Wilkes-Barre
About HoopDirt.com
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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.
