WEEK 16: WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Pivot Analysis

Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)

Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 16 WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Pivot Analysis. These coaches are now eligible to receive the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award presented by Pivot Analysis which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2023-24 college basketball season.

This is the fifth season that WHoopDirt.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 previous Coach of the Year winners can be found below this week’s recipients.

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

The Week 16 winners are:

D1: Kara Lawson – Duke

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (18-9)

Past week’s results: 58-45 W vs #17 Syracuse, 69-58 W vs #6 NC State

Highlights: Two ACC wins last week vs nationally ranked opponents for Lawson and her Blue Devils. On Thursday, Duke traveled to #17 Syracuse, and held the Orange to just 25% shooting from the field and outrebounded the hosts by 17 en route to a 69-58 win. On Saturday, Duke led #6 NC State for the entire 40 minutes, and held the Wolfpack to their second lowest shooting percentage of the season (33%), as they knocked off their second ranked team in a span of three days.

NCAA D2: Tasha Diesselhorst – Northwestern Oklahoma State

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (23-5)

Past week’s results: 61-56 W vs #3 Harding, 67-64 W vs Arkansas Tech

Highlights: Diesselhorst’s squad upset Harding, the #3 ranked NCAA D2 team in the country, on Thursday 61-56. NWOSU trailed by 4 heading into the 4th quarter, but out scored the visitors 23-14 in the final frame to claim the upset. The win is the first for the Lady Rangers over a top five team since joining division II history. On Saturday, they won a battle with Arkansas Tech 67-64, in a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes. The Lady Rangers are now 13-0 at home on the season, and 15-5 in the GAC.

NCAA D3: Lindsay Schultz – Carroll University (WI)

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (23-4)

Past week’s results: 75-66 W vs #15 Millikin, 88-78 W vs #12 Illinois Wesleyan

Highlights: What a week for Schultz and her #19 Pioneers, and they beat two NCAA Top-15 opponents to capture the CCIW Tournament Championship, and advance to the NCAA tourney. They opened the CCIW tournament on Thursday by beating #15 Millikin 75-66 – their 3rd win vs Millikin on the season. In the Championship game on Saturday, they downed #12 Illinois Wesleyan 88-78 to capture their first-ever CCIW title. Carroll also won their 23rd game of the year, which breaks the program’s record for single season victories.

NAIA: Eric Jackson, Jr. – Rust College

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (25-3)

Past week’s results: 83-43 W at Oakwood, 68-59 W vs Fisk

Highlights: Jackson’s Bearcats are hot right now – having won 12 straight games, and finishing the regular season at a perfect 13-0 at home. After dispatching Oakwood by 40 on the road on Wednesday, GCAC #1 Rust set their sites on #2 Fisk in a battle for the regular season title. Rust jumped out to a 34-17 halftime lead, and were able to withstand a furious Fisk 4th quarter run to come away with the 68-59 win. Rust has now qualified for the NAIA tournament – their 4th appearance in the past 5 seasons, and will host the 8/9 winner on Thursday in the GCAC tourney.

JUCO: Dan Savage – College of Southern Nevada

Weekly record (overall): 2-0 (23-4)

Past week’s results: 70-66 W vs Snow, 76-72 W vs Salt Lake

Highlights: Two tight victories for Savage and CSN last week, as they pushed their overall record to 23-5 on the season. CSN jumped out to a 24-13 first quarter advantage vs Snow on Thursday, and held on for a 70-66 win. On Saturday the Coyotes handed Scenic West Athletic Conference leader Salt Lake CC their first league loss of the year 76-72 – it was also Salt Lake’s first loss since November 25th. CSN is now on a 4-game win streak, and they have moved to 3rd place in the SWAC.

Week 1

NCAA DI: Larry Vickers – Norfolk State University
NCAA DII: Megan Dzikas – Florida Southern College
NCAA DIII: Meg Barber – NYU
NAIA: Bill Harmsen – Dordt University
JUCO: MJ Baker – Northwest Florida State College

Week 2

NCAA DI: Nicki Collen – Baylor University
NCAA DII: John Nakpodia – University of District Columbia
NCAA DIII: Christin Gowan – McDaniel College
NAIA: Jeff Nickel – Georgetown College (KY)
JUCO: Kori Stephenson – Mesa CC

Week 3

NCAA DI: Wes Moore – North Carolina State
NCAA DII: Tom Shirley – Thomas Jefferson University
NCAA DIII: Juli Fulks – Transylvania University
NAIA: Ginger High Colvin – Campbellsville University
JUCO: Erika Harris – Moberly Area CC

Week 4

NCAA DI: Joye Lee-McNelis – Southern Miss
NCAA DII: Anna Kowalska  – Wheeling University
NCAA DIII: Kelly Thompson – Roger Williams University
NAIA: DeWitte Mandley – Wiley University
JUCO: Mike Helmer – Butler Community College

Week 5

NCAA DI: Jason Burton – University of North Texas
NCAA DII: Will Brown – College of St. Rose
NCAA DIII: Kate Vlahakis – Manhattanville College
NAIA: Ethan Whaley – Indiana Wesleyan University
JUCO: Bob McKinley – Weatherford College

Week 6

NCAA DI: Anthony Bozzella – Seton Hall
NCAA DII: Kurt Westendorp – Ferris State University
NCAA DIII: Hannah Iverson – UW-Stout
NAIA: Kevin Herod – Langston University
JUCO: Darryl Watkins – Rock Valley 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: Cori Close – UCLA
NCAA DII: Mike Williams – Grand Valley State University
NCAA DIII: Randi Henderson – Washington University in St. Louis
NAIA: Dennis Hutter – Mayville State
JUCO: Jamarra Robinson – Indian River State College

Week 9

NCAA DI: Kenny Brooks – Virginia Tech
NCAA DII: Cleve Wright – Gannon University
NCAA DIII: KJ Krasco – Middlebury College
NAIA: Jeff Soderquist – John Brown University
JUCO: Marbely Montas – Union College

Week 10

NCAA DI: Jesyka Burks-Wiley – Florida International University
NCAA DII: Ann Hancock – Wingate University
NCAA DIII: Brian Morehouse – Hope College
NAIA: Tony Campbell – Reinhardt University
JUCO: Brock Kimball – Cisco College

Week 11

NCAA DI: Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
NCAA DII: Molly Martin – Regis University
NCAA DIII: Aby Diop – Dickinson College
NAIA: Chad Folsom – Benedictine College
JUCO: Mike Seney – CCBC Essex

Week 12

NCAA DI: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
NCAA DII: Trent May – Southern Nazarene University
NCAA DIII: Peg Swadener – Willamette University
NAIA: Alico Dunk – Stillman College
JUCO: Rory Kuhn – Gulf Coast State

Week 13

NCAA DI: Carla Berube – Princeton University
NCAA DII: Kiera Wooden – West Chester University
NCAA DIII: Ben O’Brien – University of Scranton
NAIA: Hannah Moeller – Mid-America Christian University
JUCO: Riley Maye – Harcum College

Week 14

NCAA DI: Lisa Fortier – Gonzaga University
NCAA DII: Tyreece Brown – Fayetteville State
NCAA DIII: Jordan Olufson – Webster University
NAIA: Kyle Blankenship – LSU Shreveport
JUCO: Kim Muhl – Kirkwood Community College

Week 15

NCAA DI: Mark Kellogg – University of West Virginia
NCAA DII: Beth Jillison – Texas Woman’s University
NCAA DIII: Jenna Cosgrove – Rhode Island College
NAIA: Steve Brooks – Marian University
JUCO: Rich Cooper – Rowan College South Jersey – Gloucester

Previous WHoopDirt.com / Pivot Analysis Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I

Division II

Division III

NAIA

JUCO

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