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 Just Play Solutions. These coaches are now eligible for the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award, presented by Just Play Solutions, which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
This marks the sixth season of WHoopDirt.com’s Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. This week’s winners are listed below, followed by all previous weekly honorees from earlier in the season.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The Week 11 winners are:
NCAA D1: Cori Close – University of California, Los Angeles
Coach Close’s Bruins continued their domination of the Big 10 this past week, picking up another pair of double-digit victories to remain unbeaten in conference play. No. 2 UCLA struggled from three-point range in their first game last week, going just 1/10 from beyond the arc, but was still able to pick up an 80-67 road win over Illinois on Wednesday. The 13-point win was actually UCLA’s second-smallest margin of victory across 21 wins this season. Following the win, the Bruins returned home for a matchup against then-No. 8 Iowa on Sunday afternoon. UCLA outscored the Hawkeyes 56-26 in the paint en route to an 88-65 victory – the Bruins’ 15th consecutive win. Now 21-1 (11-0 Big 10), UCLA has won all but one game by double digits this season. The Bruins next play host to Rutgers on Wednesday night.
NCAA D2: Paul Honsinger – Eckerd College
With a pair of huge wins this past week, including one over a top-five opponent, Coach Honsinger has Eckerd in a tie for first place in the Sunshine State Conference. Following a win over No. 14 Embry-Riddle on Jan. 24, the Tritons schedule did not get any easier, as they opened last week with a road matchup against No. 4 Nova Southeastern. Eckerd jumped out to a 25-13 lead after the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 79-65 triumph, handing the hosts their first loss of the season. Back in action on Saturday, the Tritons outscored Rollins 54-16 across the second and third quarters in a 71-43 victory. That win, plus another Nova Southeastern loss later in the week, moved Eckerd into a tie for first in the SSC. Now 16-4 (11-2 SSC) on the season, the Tritons will look to extend their winning streak to eight when they visit Tampa on Wednesday.
NCAA D3: David Chadbourne – University of Southern Maine
Coach Chadbourne’s Huskies continued to run through the LEC this past week, picking up another pair of victories to improve to 11-0 in conference play. On Wednesday, No. 25 Southern Maine jumped out to a 45-26 halftime lead over UMass Boston, never looking back on the way to a 74-51 win. Returning to the floor on Saturday, the Huskies held a tough Keene State squad to just 29.7% from the field in a 67-48 victory. With the wins, Southern Maine moved to 19-1 (11-0 LEC) on the season. After a loss to then-No. 10 Bates on November 25, the Huskies have won 16 consecutive games, with all but one victory in that span coming by double-digits. They will look to keep it rolling when they visit Rhode Island College on Wednesday evening.
NAIA: Ethan Whaley – Indiana Wesleyan University
Coach Whaley’s Indiana Wesleyan squad took down a top-10 opponent for the second time this season last week, extending their winning streak to four in the process. The Wildcats opened up their week on Wednesday, going 20/21 (95.2%) from the free throw line in an 81-65 victory over Taylor. Following the win, Indiana Wesleyan hit the road for a Saturday showdown against No. 6 Saint Francis, who entered the matchup at 20-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Wildcats on December 3. Indiana Wesleyan was again able to come out on top in Saturday’s matchup, picking up a thrilling 60-58 victory in a game in which no team led by more than six at any point. Now 13-9 (7-5 Crossroads) on the season, the Wildcats will look to make it five consecutive wins when they host Huntington on Wednesday evening.
JUCO: Doug Haynes – Community College of Rhode Island
Two more impressive wins this past week have allowed Coach Haynes’ Knights to tighten their grip on first place in the Region 21 standings. Then-No. 5 CCRI kicked off its week on Friday with a home showdown against Northern Essex, who entered the matchup in 2nd place in the region – just half a game back of Coach Haynes’ squad. The Knights came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 37-7 lead after the first quarter and eventually coming away with a 100-50 victory. CCRI had little time to rest before their next contest – a non-region home game against a tough Southern Maine squad that entered the matchup at 18-5 on the season. The Knights got to the free throw line early and often against the visitors, shooting 28-38 (73.7%) from the stripe in a 94-78 victory. Following a 96-48 win over Quinsigamond on Feb. 3, CCRI holds a 1.5 game lead over Northern Essex in the region. Now ranked 4th in the latest NJCAA DIII Top-15 poll, the 17-2 (8-0 Region 21) Knights will look for their seventh consecutive win when they visit Hudson Valley on Saturday.
2025-26 WHoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
NCAA DII: Tim Kirby – Harding University
NCAA DIII: Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft – Shenandoah University
NAIA: Bill Harmsen – Dordt University
JUCO: Jaleel Taylor – Union College (NJ)
NCAA DI: Vic Schaefer – University of Texas
NCAA DII: Johnette Walker – Newberry College
NCAA DIII: Meg Barber – New York University
NAIA: DeWayne Burroughs – Shawnee State University
JUCO: Nicole Collier – State Fair Community College
NCAA DI: Molly Miller – Arizona State University
NCAA DII: Tasha Diesselhorst – Northwestern Oklahoma State University
NCAA DIII: Megan Phelps – Bowdoin College
NAIA: DeWitt Mandley – Wiley University
JUCO: Damel Ling – Monroe University – Bronx
NCAA DI: Linda Cimino – Dartmouth College
NCAA DII: Travis Ponton – Queens College
NCAA DIII: Julie Prichett – Brandeis University
NAIA: David Moe – Dakota State University
JUCO: Madonna Thompson – Shelton State Community College
NCAA DI: Krista Gerlich – Texas Tech University
NCAA DII: Heather Macy – Nova Southeastern University
NCAA DIII: Gabby Holko – Susquehanna University
NAIA: Suntana Anderson – Marian University (IN)
JUCO: Mitch Rolls – Chipola College
Week 6
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
Week 7
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
NCAA DI: Greg Todd – Eastern Kentucky University
NCAA DII: Emry Tsitouris – Lenoir-Rhyne University
NCAA DIII: Alison Montgomery – Bates College
NAIA: Abby Stutts – Freed-Hardeman University
JUCO: Chelsea Waters – Tallahassee State College
NCAA DI: Destinee Rogers – Arkansas State University
NCAA DII: Emilee Thiesse – Minnesota State University, Mankato
NCAA DIII: Maureen Hirt – Denison University
NAIA: Jessica Garriga – William Carey University
JUCO: Chelsey Warburton – Utah State University Eastern
NCAA DI: Jan Jensen – University of Iowa
NCAA DII: Danielle Fleming – PennWest Clarion
NCAA DIII: Ben O’Brien – University of Scranton
NAIA: Jamarra Robinson – Stillman College
JUCO: Marvin Evans – Harford Community College
