Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, WHoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following women’s college basketball coaches have been honored with the Week 11 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 11 winners are:
D1: Vernette Skeete – Texas Southern University
Coach Skeete’s Lady Tigers picked up another pair of impressive victories this past week to stay undefeated in the SWAC. On Thursday, Texas Southern hosted Jackson State, who entered the contest riding a 35-game conference winning streak dating back to 2023. The Lady Tigers ended that streak emphatically, leading by as many as 25 in a dominating 69-54 triumph. Back in action on Saturday, Texas Southern defeated Alcorn State 70-48 to move to 5-0 in the SWAC for the first time since 2017. The Lady Tigers will look to make for their sixth consecutive conference win when they travel to take on Alabama A&M on Saturday.
NCAA D2: Matt Houser – Columbus State University
Coach Houser’s squad had an eventful week, winning three games – including one over a top-10 opponent. The Lady Cougars opened the week on Monday with a rescheduled matchup at then-No. 6 North Georgia and found themselves trailing by six entering the fourth quarter. Columbus State outscored the hosts 26-7 over the final 10 minutes, however, coming away with a 77-64 victory. Returning home to close out the week, the Lady Cougars defeated Clayton State 84-59 on Wednesday and USC Aiken 81-70 on Saturday. Now 11-4 (5-1 PBC) on the season, Columbus State will look for its fifth straight win when it takes on Flagler on the road on Wednesday evening.
NCAA D3: Brad Fischer – University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
Coach Fischer led UW-Oshkosh to a pair of hard-fought victories this week as the Titans remained undefeated on the season. On Wednesday, the 4th-ranked Titans found themselves locked in a tight battle at then-No. 15 UW-Whitewater. After the hosts fought back to force overtime, UW-Oshkosh quickly took the momentum back, holding UW-Whitewater scoreless in the extra period and coming away with a tough 59-52 win. Back at home on Saturday, the Titans pulled away from UW-La Crosse after the first quarter to take a 68-50 victory. With the wins, UW-Oshkosh moved to 16-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. The Titans will try to keep it rolling when they host UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday.
NAIA: Chris Vincent – Langston University
In his first season at the helm, Coach Vincent has Langston firing on all cylinders, as the Lady Lions picked up two more wins this past week. In a battle of the top two teams in the SAC, Langston defeated Wayland Baptist 69-60 to avenge its only loss of the season on Thursday. Returning to the floor on Saturday, the Lady Lions held Oklahoma Panhandle State to just 19.5% from the field en route to a 64-27 victory. With the wins, Langston moved to 16-1 (12-1 SAC) and is off to its best start since the 2014-15 season. The Lady Lions will be back in action on Thursday when they host the College of the Ozarks.
JUCO: Marbely Montas – Union College (NJ)
Coach Montas guided Union to a trio of dominant victories this week, winning each matchup by at least 49 points. The 4th-ranked Owls hosted Mercer County Community College on Tuesday, winning 105-56 in what would be their closest matchup of the week. Union would then go on to defeat Middlesex College 108-30 on Thursday and CCBC Catonsville 96-38 on Saturday. With the wins, Union improved to 18-0 on the season. They have won each of their contests by at least 13 points. The Owls are back in action on Saturday when they host Essex County College at 12PM.
2024-25 WHoopDirt.com / FastBreak PlayBook Coach of the Week Winners
Week 1
Early season – no winners selected.
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
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
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
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.
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
NCAA DI: Charmin Smith – University of California, Berkeley
NCAA DII: Lisa Wilson – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
NCAA DIII: Cheri Harrer – Baldwin-Wallace University
NAIA: Bo Browder – Xavier University of Louisiana
JUCO: Bart Walker – Northwest Florida State College
Previous Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 2022-23: Kenny Brooks – Virginia Tech University
- 2021-22: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
- 2020-21: Adia Barnes – University of Arizona
- 2019-20: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Division II
- 2022-23: Kari Pickens – Ashland University
- 2021-22: Kim Stephens – Glenville State College
- 2020-21: Steve Gomez – Lubbock Christian University
- 2019-20: Molly Miller – Drury University
Division III
- 2022-23: Juli Fulks – Transylvania University
- 2021-22: Brian Morehouse – Hope College
- 2020-21: Brian Morehouse – Hope College
- 2019-20: Jill Pace – Tufts University
NAIA
- 2022-23: Courtney Boyd – Clarke University
- 2021-22: Jeff Hans – Thomas More College
- 2020-21: Kirsten Moore – Westmont College
- 2019-20: Chris Nelson – Bethel University
JUCO
- 2022-23: Mike Seney – CCBC Essex
- 2021-22: Trenia Tillis Hoard – Tyler Junior College
- 2020-21: No winner named – COVID season
- 2019-20: Cayla Petree – South Plains College
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 going on in the coaching profession.
