Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, WHoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following women’s college basketball coaches have been honored with the Week 12 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 12 winners are:
NCAA D1: Dawn Thornton – Alabama A&M University
Coach Thornton guided Alabama A&M to a couple of hard-fought road victories this past week as the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 10 games. On Thursday, Alabama A&M held Grambling to just 30.4% from the field in a 54-50 win. Back in action on Sunday, the Bulldogs trailed Southern by as many as eight in the third quarter, but outscored the hosts 18-11 in the final 10 minutes to come away with a 56-54 victory in a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes. With the wins, Alabama A&M improved to 14-9 (10-1 SWAC) on the season. The Bulldogs currently hold a one game lead over Alcorn State for first place in the SWAC. They will look for their 11th consecutive win when they host Arkansas – Pine Bluff on Thursday.
NCAA D2: Taylor Wagner – Colorado Mesa University
Another week, another pair of victories for Coach Wagner’s Mavericks as they extended their winning streak to 20 games and officially clinched their spot in the RMAC playoffs. 4th-ranked Colorado Mesa came out firing on all cylinders on Thursday, jumping out to a 36-14 first quarter lead over MSU Denver en route to a 78-48 road victory. Returning to the floor on Saturday, the Mavericks held Regis to just 30% from the field in a 67-36 triumph. The win extended Colorado Mesa’s conference winning streak to 31 games dating back to last season. Now 24-1 (14-0 RMAC) on the campaign, the Mavericks will return home to host Fort Lewis on Thursday evening.
NCAA D3: Kelly McNiff – University of Wisconsin – Platteville
Coach McNiff’s remarkable turnaround of the UW – Platteville program continued this past week, as the Pioneers took down a pair of ranked opponents to reach 17 wins on the season – more than doubling last year’s win total. Then-No. 21 UW – Platteville began the week on Wednesday with an unenviable matchup at third-ranked UW – Oshkosh, which entered the week without a loss on the season. The Mavericks put on a stifling defensive performance, allowing just 43 points in a back-and-forth affair that saw five ties and nine lead changes before UW – Platteville was able to pull out the 47-43 victory. Following the huge win, the Mavericks returned home for another difficult matchup, this time against No. 22 UW – La Crosse. Again, UW – Platteville was able to control the game defensively, limiting the visitors to just 31.7% from the field in a 65-55 triumph. The win marked the Pioneers’ 17th of the season – their most since the 1988-89 campaign. After going 8-17 (2-12 WIAC) last year, Coach McNiff’s squad is currently 17-4 (7-3 WIAC) and ranked No. 17 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The Mavericks will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they host No. 16 UW – Whitewater on Wednesday night.
NAIA: Matt Moore – Columbia College (MO)
Coach Moore led Columbia to three more blowout wins this week, picking up a milestone victory for himself in the process. On Tuesday, the Cougars held Hannibal-LaGrange to just 27.9% from the field and outrebounded the visitors 51-21 in a 97-32 win. Back in action on Thursday, Columbia put on another impressive defensive performance – holding Cottey College to just 31.6% from the field in a 77-44 triumph. The Cougars then finished out their three-game week with an 85-47 win over Harris-Stowe State on Saturday. That victory marked win No. 50 in Coach Moore’s head coaching career, which began just last year. In his less than two full seasons at the helm, Moore has compiled an incredible 50-5 (.909) record. His Cougars (22-1, 13-0 AMC) will look for their 12th straight win when they close out a four-game homestand against UHSP on Tuesday evening.
JUCO: Bart Walker – Northwest Florida State College
Coach Walker led Northwest Florida State to a pair of huge road wins this past week, including one over the top-ranked team in the nation. The 5th-ranked Raiders opened their week with a dominant defensive showing, allowing just 13 made field goals in a 55-36 win over Pensacola State. Following the win, Northwest Florida State headed to Marianna for a showdown with No. 1 Chipola, who entered the matchup undefeated in conference play and 21-1 overall. The Raiders were able to build an 11 point lead through three quarters before holding off a late Chipola comeback attempt to pick up a thrilling 69-66 victory. With the win, Northwest Florida improved to 19-3 on the season. The Raiders will look to extend their winning streak to four when they return home to host Gulf Coast State on Wednesday.
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
NCAA DI: Cori Close – University of California, Los Angeles
NCAA DII: Paul Honsinger – Eckerd College
NCAA DIII: David Chadbourne – University of Southern Maine
NAIA: Ethan Whaley – Indiana Wesleyan University
JUCO: Doug Haynes – Community College of Rhode Island
