By AJ Nelson, WHoopDirt.com staff writer
Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 10 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 2020-21 college basketball season.
This is the second season that HoopDirt.com and Pivot Analysis have run the Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. Last season’s weekly winners, and COY winners can be found following this weeks honorees.
This season will be a bit different, however. As college basketball adjusts to life with COVID, so will we. Not every level will be honored on a weekly basis – we will honor as many of the levels as possible provided enough games are played. It’s different than in the past, but we still hope to have enough weekly winners at each level to name a Coach of the Year (NCAA DI, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO) at the end of the season
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The Week 10 winners are:
NCAA DI: Lisa Fortier – Gonzaga University
Coach Fortier led the Zags to a pair of road wins this week, extending their winning streak to 14 games. On Thursday, 18th-ranked Gonzaga led Pacific by 24 at the half on the way to a 77-65 victory. The Bulldogs then took down Saint Mary’s by a score of 79-52 on Saturday to close out the week. Gonzaga is now 15-2 on the season, and a perfect 10-0 in WCC play. They will look to make it 15 straight when they take on BYU at home on Tuesday.
NCAA DII: Kari Hoffman – Cedarville University
Coach Hoffman picked up her 100th career victory as Cedarville won three more games this week. The 23rd-ranked Lady Jackets opened the week by defeating Lake Erie 112-58 – just two days after beating the same team by only three. Coach Hoffman then picked up her milestone victory in a dominant showing on the road against Ohio Valley on Thursday. In her career at Cedarville, Hoffman has now compiled an impressive record of 101-33, as the Lady Jackets capped off the week with a 90-86 victory over Ursuline. After dropping their first contest of the season, Cedarville has now won 14 straight games. They are back in action on Thursday, when face off against Ohio Valley at home.
NCAA DIII: Beth Andrews – John Carroll University
This week, Coach Andrews’ squad fended off a pair of late comeback attempts to remain undefeated on the season. On Friday, the Blue Streaks led Mount Union for almost the entirety of the contest before finding themselves down three with just 20 seconds remaining. A three pointer tied the game and sent it to overtime, where John Carroll pulled away for an 83-73 victory. In a rematch the next day, the Blue Streaks led by as many as 17 in the second half before hanging on for a hard-fought 84-83 triumph. Now 4-0 (4-0 OAC) on the season, John Carroll will take on Baldwin-Wallace in a home-and-home series next weekend.
NAIA: Kellie Kennedy – Loyola University – New Orleans
Coach Kennedy guided the Wolf Pack to three victories this week, improving their record to 10-1 on the season. No. 24 Loyola jumped out to a 21-point first quarter lead on the way to a 67-53 win over William Carey on Tuesday. The Wolf Pack then faced off against Mobile, who previously handed them their only loss of the season, in a two game weekend series. Loyola won both contests, including a tightly-contested 74-69 victory to close out the week on Saturday. The 10-1 (5-1 SSAC) Wolf Pack will hit the road to take on William Carey on Tuesday evening.
JUCO: Mercedes Corona – Arkansas State University – Mid-South
With a pair of wins this week, Coach Corona’s
squad has entered the Top-25 rankings for the first time in school history. The Lady Greyhounds won two games at the Moberly Classic – defeating John Wood Community College 61-50 on Friday before taking down Triton College by a score of 66-39 the following day. These wins propelled ASU Mid-South into the No. 16 spot in the NJCAA Division II Top-25 rankings. Coach Corona’s squad is now a perfect 5-0 on the season.
2020-21 HoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Mike Carey – West Virginia University
NCAA DII: Nate Vogel – Texas A&M International University
NCAA DIII: No week 1 winner awarded
NAIA: Jessie Biggs – Indiana Institute of Technology
JUCO: No week 1 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Adia Barnes – University of Arizona
NCAA DII: Jason Williams – Belmont Abbey College (NC)
NCAA DIII: Blake Arbogast – East Texas Baptist University
NAIA: Krista Van Hauen – St. Ambrose University (IA)
JUCO: No week 2 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Amy Vachon – University of Maine
NCAA DII: Lora Westling – Western Colorado University
NCAA DIII: Polly Thomason – University of Texas Dallas
NAIA: Megan Leuzinger – Evangel University (MO)
JUCO: No week 3 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Aaron Johnston – South Dakota State University
NCAA DII: Tanya Haave – Metropolitan State University of Denver
NCAA DIII: No week 4 winner awarded
NAIA: Ginger High Colvin – Campbellsville University (KY)
JUCO: No week 4 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
NCAA DII: No winner – mandatory DII winter break
NCAA DIII: No week 5 winner awarded
NAIA: Jeff Hans – Thomas More University (KY)
JUCO: No week 5 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Kyra Elzy – University of Kentucky
NCAA DII: No week 6 winner awarded
NCAA DIII: Cassi Rozanski – LeTourneau University (TX)
NAIA: Grady Morrell – Webber International University (FL)
JUCO: No week 6 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Seton Sobolewski – Idaho State University
NCAA DII: Carrie Eighney – University of Nebraska Kearney
NCAA DIII: No week 7 winner awarded
NAIA: Courtney Boyd – Clarke University (IA)
JUCO: No week 7 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Bill Fennelly – Iowa State University
NCAA DII: Meagan Price – Tusculum University (TN)
NCAA DIII: Rodney Rogan – Rhodes College (TN)
NAIA: Jamie Sale – Morningside College (IA)
JUCO: No week 7 winner awarded
NCAA DI: Jeff Walz – University of Louisville
NCAA DII: Kim Stephens – Glenville State College (WVa)
NCAA DIII: Katherine Menendez – Colorado College
NAIA: Katie Gearlds – Marian University (IN)
JUCO: Chad Gibney – Western Nebraska CC
2019-20 WHoopDirt.com / Pivot Analysis Coach of the Year Award Winners:
Division I
- 2019-20: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Division II
- 2019-20: Molly Miller – Drury University (MO)
Division III
- 2019-20: Jill Pace – Tufts University (MA)
NAIA
- 2019-20: Chris Nelson – Bethel University (TN)
JUCO
- 2019-20: Cayla Petree – South Plains College (TX)
Pivot Analysis is the market leader in college basketball advanced stat generation and visualization. Their products make it easy to identify optimal lineup rotations, scout an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, evaluate a player’s impact on the team, and identify prospects for the next level. Visit us at www.pivotanalysis.com to learn more about how our tools can be used to save you time and effort.
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