WEEK 10: WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Fastbreak PlayBook

Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, WHoopDirt.com

BOSTON, MA – The following women’s college basketball coaches have been honored with the Week 10 WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week Award, presented by FastBreak PlayBook. These coaches are now eligible for the prestigious WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award, presented by FastBreak PlayBook, which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

This year, WHoopDirt.com has partnered with FastBreak PlayBook to bring even more value to the Coach of the Week program. As part of the collaboration, each weekly winner will receive a complimentary Full-Team Annual Membership to the FastBreak PlayBook platform.

“FastBreak PlayBook is very excited to partner with WhoopDirt for the Coach of the Week Award. We are passionate about bringing a spotlight to deserving women’s basketball coaches and look forward to providing a free Full-Team Annual Membership to each winner.” – Kendall Acho, Chief Operating Officer

This marks the fifth season of WHoopDirt.com’s 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 10 winners are:

D1: Charmin Smith – University of California, Berkeley

Coach Smith guided Cal to another pair of tough wins this week as the Golden Bears moved to a perfect 11-0 at home on the season. Hosting No. 21 NC State on Thursday, the then-No. 24 Golden Bears had five players score in double figures en route to a 78-71 victory. Back in action on Sunday, Cal led Florida State by as many as 34 in an 82-70 triumph. Now 16-2 (4-1 ACC) on the season, the Golden Bears are off to their best start since the 2012-13 campaign and up to No. 18 in the latest AP Top-25 Poll. They will look to keep it rolling when they travel to take on No. 16 Duke in a top-20 matchup on Thursday.

NCAA D2: Lisa Wilson – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Coach Wilson’s Eagles picked up two hard-fought victories this week, winning the pair of games by a combined five points. On Wednesday, No. 16 Embry-Riddle trailed Florida Southern on the road by as many as eight in the fourth quarter before fighting back to grab a 66-62 victory. The Eagles then closed out the week with a top-25 matchup, hosting No. 25 Tampa on Saturday afternoon. Down one with just three seconds remaining, sophomore Anye Staton knocked down a shot to propel Embry-Riddle to a thrilling 64-63 victory. The win marked the first time since 2018 that the Eagles defeated Tampa since 2018. Now 13-1 (7-0 SSC) on the season, Embry-Riddle next hosts Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday evening.

NCAA D3: Cheri Harrer – Baldwin Wallace University

Coach Harrer reached another milestone in her illustrious career this week as her Yellow Jackets picked up two more victories. On Wednesday, Baldwin Wallace dominated Heidelberg 85-41 before hitting the road to take on Wilmington on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets were able to grab another victory, winning 68-52 to improve to 12-1 (6-0 OAC) on the season. The win marked No. 700 in Coach Harrer’s 35-year career. Already the winningest coach in OAC history, Harrer has compiled an impressive career record of 700-247 (449-150 OAC). Her Yellow Jackets will look for their 13th consecutive victory when they face off against Mount Union on the road on Wednesday.

NAIA: Bo Browder – Xavier University of Louisiana

With three more double-digit victories this week, Coach Browder’s XULA squad remained unbeaten on the campaign. The 25th-ranked Gold Nuggets opened the week at home, outscoring Texas College 45-23 in the second half of a 76-52 triumph. On the road for the week’s final two matchups, XULA defeated Texas A&M – San Antonio 80-65 on Thursday and Our Lady of the Lake 76-59 on Saturday. The Gold Nuggets’ 16-0 start is the best in program history, and nine of their 16 wins have come by double-digits. They will try to stay perfect when they return home to host North American on Tuesday evening.

JUCO: Bart Walker – Northwest Florida State College

Coach Walker’s Raiders shut down two more offenses this week as they remained perfect on the season. On Monday, Northwest Florida State outscored Northeast Mississippi Community College 28-8 in the first quarter en route to a 79-56 victory. Returning to action on Saturday against Tallahassee State, Northwest Florida again jumped ahead early, leading the visitors 43-10 at the half and coming away with a 76-32 victory. Now 17-0 on the season, the Raiders lead NJCAA DI in scoring defense, allowing only 42.6 points per game. They will return to action on Saturday, when they host Pensacola State at 2PM.

2024-25 WHoopDirt.com / FastBreak PlayBook Coach of the Week Winners

Week 1

Early season – no winners selected.

Week 2

NCAA DI: Kenny Brooks – University of Kentucky
NCAA DII:  Buffie Burson – University of North Georgia
NCAA DIII: Laurie Kelly – Gustavus Adolphus College
NAIA: Bill Harmsen – Dordt University
JUCO: Mike Seney – CCBC Essex

Week 3

NCAA DI: Geno Auriemma – UConn
NCAA DII:  Danielle Fleming – PennWest Clarion
NCAA DIII: Lindsay Schultz – Carroll University
NAIA: Hannah Moeller – Mid-American Christian University
JUCO: Austin Mefford – New Mexico Junior College

Week 4

NCAA DI: Kara Lawson – Duke University
NCAA DII:  Rick Neumann – University of Mary
NCAA DIII: Mia Smith – Illinois Wesleyan University
NAIA: NaJarius Green – Columbia College
JUCO: John Ontjes – Hutchinson Community College

Week 5

NCAA DI: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
NCAA DII:  Kari Kerkhoff – McKendree University
NCAA DIII: Meg Barber – New York University
NAIA: Adam Hocking – Clarke University
JUCO: Jamie Fisher – Florida SouthWestern State College

Week 6

NCAA DI: Vanessa Blair-Lewis – George Mason University
NCAA DII:  Emry Tsitouris – Mars Hill University
NCAA DIII: Megan Phelps – Bowdoin College
NAIA: Alico Dunk – Stillman College
JUCO: Nate Beutel – SUNY Niagara

Week 7

Winter Break – No winners selected.

Week 8

Winter Break – No winners selected.

Week 9

NCAA DI: Karen Aston – University of Texas at San Antonio
NCAA DII: John Bonner – California State University, Dominguez Hills
NCAA DIII: Katherine Auguste – Colorado College
NAIA: Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt – Southern Oregon University
JUCO: Jessica Eaton – Florida State College at Jacksonville

Previous Coach of the Year Award Winners:

Division I

Division II

Division III

NAIA

JUCO

FastBreak PlayBook provides coaches with a database of plays drawn by professional and college level coaches with coaching points and player assignments. All plays are editable to fit your system or you can quickly draw your own with their custom-built play drawing tool. Additional features allow coaches to create practice schedules, scouting reports, as well as integrate and distribute video to their team directly with the mobile team app.

WHoopDirt.com is the largest website in the country dedicated specifically to women’s college basketball coaching news, jobs, and rumors at all levels. WHoopDirt.com brings a unique insider perspective to the world of college basketball coaching – it was founded by college coaches as a way to help the college basketball community stay informed of what is goi

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