Coach of The Year!

ASUN Conference Coach of The Year: Ritchie McKay (Liberty)

For the first time in school history, Liberty's coach has won "Coach of the Year" in back-to-back seasons! Coach McKay led the Flames to its third straight ASUN Regular Season Championship and fifth consecutive 20-win season. Liberty had victories this season over two SEC opponents, 11 wins in conference play and for the second straight season, McKay and the Flames went undefeated at home (13-0). Coach McKay is becoming familiar with the "Coach of The Year" honor; in 2016 he was named Big South "Coach of The Year" and in 2019 he received the Jim Phelan National Coach of The Year award. He has turned around the Liberty program since his re-arrival to Lynchburg in 2015 and has them poised for an NCAA tournament run this March!

American Athletic Conference Coach of The Year: Isaac Brown (Witchita State)

Scandal, Transfers, Several new faces on the roster, Picked 7th in the Pre-Season Coaches Poll... None of that mattered for Coach Isaac Brown! He stepped into the role of Interim Head Coach shortly before the start of the season and took advantage of his opportunity. 16 wins later, he has the Shockers still competing in March! There aren't enough words to describe the job well done by Coach Brown this season, but "AMAZING" pretty much sums it up! 16-4, 12-2 in AAC conference play with a big win over #6 ranked conference foe Houston in his first year as a Head Coach clearly demonstrated Coach Brown's ability to connect with his squad and overcome adversity. He is well deserving of the opportunity to lead the Shockers into the future and although this is his first "Coach of The Year" honor, I'm sure it will not be his last! 

Big East Conference Coach of The Year: Mike Anderson (St. Johns)

It's no surprise that Coach Mike Anderson is on this list. He's no stranger to "Coach of The Year" awards; Conference USA Coach of The Year (2004) NABC Coach of The Year (2009) Clair Bee Coach of The Year (2009) and now this year; Big East Coach of The Year. Mike Anderson brought the Red Storm their first winning conference record since Steve Lavin's 10-8 season in 2014-15. Picked to finish 9th in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll; Coach Anderson coached the Red Storm to a fourth place finish in the conference. As he continues to build the St. Johns program with his recruits, I'm expecting to see the Red Storm continuously finish in the top of the conference rankings for years to come.

Big Ten Conference Coach of The Year: Juwan Howard (Michigan)

Juwan Howard's name is synonymous with winning at the University of Michigan and in his second season as head coach, he has led the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title in seven seasons. Coach Howard is the consensus Big Ten Coach of the Year as voted on by coaches and media, becoming the first U-M coach to earn the award since John Beilein did during the 2013-14 season (the last time they won the Big Ten title.) He's the fourth coach in program history to receive the award. Michigan finished the regular season with a 19-3 record and a 14-3 record in conference play. They had a 6-2 records versus ranked opponents and even a 23 day layoff due to Covid protocols couldn't slow them down. Coach Howard is likely to earn a few National Coach of The Year nominations and with the way the Wolverines are playing, it's likely they will make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.



Horizon League Coach of The Year: Dennis Gates (Cleveland State)

The Cleveland State Vikings have had a massive turnaround under the leadership of Coach Dennis Gates. In his second year at the helm; Gates was named the Horizon League's Coach of the Year for the second straight season. (He shared the award with Wright State's Scott Nagy in 2020.) Coach Gates is the first coach in Vikings history to be awarded Horizon League Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons and eighth head coach in Horizon League history to be awarded the honor in consecutive seasons. Picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, Coach Gates led the Vikings to a 16-4 conference record in 2020-21, Horizon League Regular Season Championship, Horizon League Tournament Championship and their first NCAA Tournament berth in the last 12 years. All eyes are on Coach Gates and the Vikings meteoric rise back to a level of prominence they haven't seen since the Gary Waters years.



Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of The Year: King Rice (Monmouth)

Monmouth Head coach King Rice has experienced an elite level of success. At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named the MAAC Coach of the Year for the third time in six years. Monmouth finished the regular season tied with preseason favorite Siena as MAAC champions. The Hawks were picked 3rd in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Coach Rice also won the award during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, with Monmouth winning the regular season title outright both seasons. He is the first Monmouth coach ever to win Coach of the Year three times in any conference, and the third coach in MAAC history to win the award at least three times, along with Saint Peter's Ted Fiore (1987, 89, 91) and Niagara's Joe Mihalich (1999, 2005, 13).

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of The Year: Robert McCullum (FAMU)

Florida A&M head basketball coach, Robert McCullum, has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year making him the first FAMU head basketball coach to earn the award in the 50-year history of the honor. Coach McCullum took over the FAMU program in 2017, and this season led the Rattlers to its third consecutive winning conference record going 7-5 in the regular season. Known for their defensive play FAMU leads the conference in scoring defense, as the only team to give up less than 70 points per game (67.5), and defensive rebounds per game (35.5). Florida A&M Basketball was already trending in a positive direction, and then on Match 4th Florida A&M and Nike, Inc. announced on Wednesday a partnership that features a six-year deal for Nike to be the official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider for the Rattlers. In addition to servicing the 14 sports programs, Nike will supply apparel for the Marching 100. FAMU teams will be outfitted in LeBron James uniforms and apparel. This includes footwear explicitly designed for the university as part of this relationship. This will undoubtably help with recruiting and attracting top talent to Tallahassee.

Missouri Valley Conference Athletic Director of The Year: Dr. Chris Reynolds (Bradley)

Dr. Chris Reynolds is the only "non-coach" in this list but his accomplishment deserves recognition. I often discuss the lack of opportunities for Black Men & Women as Head Coaches at the Division 1 level, well there's even less representation on the administration side. Dr. Chris Reynolds is "1 of the 1%" and he is shining bright in his role! Reynolds is one of 28 winners of the Athletics Director of the Year Award, according to an announcement by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Dr. Reynolds is completing his sixth year at the Bradley University Department of Athletics' helm, including his third year as Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. He has led the Braves to record-breaking achievements and unprecedented success athletically, academically and in the community during his tenure. Dr. Reynolds is a beacon of hope for young men & women eyeing a career in Sport Administration and searching for success in the athletics space beyond the competition on the court/field.

Northeast Conference Coach of The Year: Bashir Mason (Wagner)

Coach Bashir Mason is one of the most accomplished coaches in NEC history. With this years Coach of The Year award, he became the second coach in the conference’s 40-year history to win three Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors. Coach Mason, who was also recognized in 2015-16 and 2017-18, ignored the Preseason rankings that had Wagner picked eighth. The Seahawks started slow before it all started to click in mid-January. They won 10 straight games to go from worst to first in the NEC. Coach Mason has led Wagner to 3 NEC regular season titles, and 2 NIT appearances, in the last six years. He was the youngest head coach at the Division I level when he was hired at Wagner in 2012 and is the fastest coach to win 100 games in Seahawk history.

SWAC Conference Coach of The Year: Byron Smith (Prairie View A&M)

Coach Byron Smith, who has led the Prairie View A&M to a 44-5 record over the last three years, was named "SWAC Coach of the Year" for the third season in a row. Coach Smith led the Prairie View A&M Panthers to their third consecutive regular season title and an undefeated record in league play (13-0.) Coach Smith has turned the Panthers into a perennial powerhouse in the SWAC and has them poised for another Conference Tournament Championship. If Coach Smith can keep the Panthers rolling he will lead them to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament (the 2020 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic.)

Sun Belt Conference Coach of The Year: Terrence Johnson (Texas State)

When his 6th season at Texas State began, Coach Terrence Johnson was an assistant on Danny Kaspar's staff. On March 10th, reports started to surface around the internet that Texas State University would remove the "Interim" portion of Coach Terrence Johnson's title. On March 11th, Coach Johnson was named the Joe Gottfried Coach of The Year for the Sun Belt Conference and the 16th Head Coach at Texas State University. It's been an amazing year for Coach Johnson, and I know he is really just getting started. His skillset, knowledge and experience is just what the Bobcats need to continue the journey towards being perennial Sun Belt powers. Coach Johnson led the Texas State Bobcats to a 18-6 (12-3 in conference play) while securing the schools first ever Sun Belt regular season title (the last conference championship came in 1999 as a member of the Southland Conference). He achieved the most wins in a year by one coach at Texas State and has demonstrated that his skill-set far exceeds his ability to recruit top talent. The proof is in the stats. This year, opponents of the Bobcats averaged 61.2 points per game (down from last years 64.3). The Bobcats improved in Rebounding Margin (+0.2 to +3.3), Field Goal % (45.8 to 46.4), and Three Point % (32 to 38). 

Western Athletic Conference Coach of The Year: Lew Hill (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Coach Lew Hill, who passed away tragically on Feb. 7 at the age of 55, is the unanimous choice for Don Haskins Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year. Before his passing, Hill coached the Vaqueros to an 8-4 record, including a 2-0 mark in WAC play. The Vaqueros won their WAC opener over Dixie State by 33 points, the largest margin of victory in a conference game in program history. After sweeping Dixie State to improve to 8-3, Coach Hill had his team off to their best start since 2001-02. After Coach Hill’s final game on Feb. 6, UTRGV ranked third in the NCAA and first in the WAC in three-point percentage defense (25.7%), third in the NCAA and first in the WAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.42), fifth in the NCAA and first in the WAC in turnovers forced per game (18.33), eighth in the NCAA in first in the WAC in total rebounding (41.25), 14th in the NCAA and first in the WAC in steals per game (9.1), 19th in the NCAA and second in the WAC in turnover margin (3.9), and 26th in the NCAA and second in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (39.7%). In his five-year tenure with the Vaqueros, brought substantial success to a program that has not experienced much prior. Inheriting a program that went 8-22 in 2015-16, Hill – within three years – led UTRGV to its first overall winning record since 2007-08, as well as its first winning record in conference play since 1994-95.