By AJ Nelson, WHoopDirt.com staff writer
Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 2 WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Capital Elite Agency. These coaches are now eligible to receive the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award presented by Capital Elite Agency which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2021-22 college basketball season.
This is the third season that WHoopDirt.com has run the Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. The list of 2021-22 Coach of the Week winners, as well as previous Coach of the Year winners can be found below this week’s recipients.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The Week 2 winners are:
NCAA DI: Shereka Wright – The University of Texas at Arlington
Coach Wright’s Lady Mavs trailed by double-digits in both of their games this week, but fought hard to come away with a pair of overtime victories. UT Arlington faced a 15-point deficit at the half against Houston on Wednesday, but outscored the visitors 24-9 in the third to even the game up. The Lady Mavs then needed an extra period to secure the win, but took an impressive 69-66 victory. Back in action on Saturday, UT Arlington trailed by as many as 11 in the first half at North Texas before closing the gap and pulling out a 75-74 triumph in overtime. Now 3-1 on the season, the Lady Mavs face off against UNLV at the UNLV Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday.
NCAA DII: Steve Gomez – Lubbock Christian University
Coach Gomez’s top-ranked Lubbock Christian squad knocked off a pair of ranked opponents at the Lady Chap Classic this week. The Lady Chaps, ranked No. 1 in the WBCA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, took on Lander, who entered the contest as the No. 1 team in the latest D2SIDA Top-25 Poll (No. 3 in WBCA Poll) in the opening game of the Classic on Friday. Lubbock Christian trailed by 10 with just over seven minutes remaining, but rallied back largely behind an unbelievable 30-31 overall performance from the free throw line to take a 76-72 victory. The Lady Chaps then faced off against 20th-ranked Daemen the following day, putting on a defensive showcase on the way to a 62-37 win. Now 6-1 on the season, LCU will travel to Honolulu to take on Minnesota Crookston at the Oahu Thanksgiving Classic on Thursday.
NCAA DIII: Dan Nagle – Nichols College (MA)
Two impressive wins this week have Coach Nagle’s squad on a three-game winning streak for the first time since the 2013-14 season. After defeating Clark last Saturday to kick off the streak, the Bison found themselves trailing Wellesley by seven with just 1:20 remaining in the contest on Tuesday. Nichols then closed the game on a 10-1 run, coming away with a stunning 61-59 victory. In their next bout, the Bison put up a program-record 102 points in a 102-78 blowout over Fitchburg State. Nichols forced an unbelievable 46 turnovers in the contest, after forcing 40 in Tuesday’s win against Wellesley. The 4-2 Bison will look to stay hot when they hit the road to take on WPI in their final non-conference matchup of the season on Tuesday.
NAIA: David Smalley – University of Rio Grande
Coach Smalley’s high-powered offense led Rio Grande to a pair of lopsided wins this week, keeping the RedStorm unbeaten on the year. Rio Grande opened conference play on Tuesday with a dominant 80-38 victory over Carlow. Returning to action on Saturday, the RedStorm defeated Point Park by a score of 86-49. Through nine contests, Rio Grande is unbeaten and averaging the third most points in the country (91.3 PPG). They will attempt to improve to 10-0 when they take on WVU Tech at home tonight.
JUCO: Stephanie Murphy – Coahoma Community College
Coach Murphy led Coahoma to three closely-contested victories this week, as the Lady Tigers improved to 6-0 on the season. Coahoma opened the week at home, taking down Northeast Mississippi 61-60 in overtime on Monday, and defeating Itawamba 72-61 on Thursday. The Lady Tigers hit the road on Saturday, coming up with a 72-70 triumph over Northwest Mississippi. Coahoma returns to action on December 6th, in a road contest against East Central.
2021-22 HoopDirt.com / Capital Elite Agency Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Anita Howard – Georgia Southern University
NCAA DII: Caleb and Nicole Neiman – Kentucky Wesleyan University
NCAA DIII: Courtney Burns – Mitchell College (CT)
NAIA: Janis Beal – The College of Idaho
JUCO: Mike Seney – CCBC
All-time WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Year winners:
Division I
- 2020-21: Adia Barnes – University of Arizona
- 2019-20: Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Division II
- 2020-21:Steve Gomez – Lubbock Christian University (TX)
- 2019-20: Molly Miller – Drury University (MO)
Division III
- 2020-21: Brian Morehouse – Hope College (MI)
- 2019-20: Jill Pace – Tufts University (MA)
NAIA
- 2020-21: Kirsten Moore – Westmont College (CA)
- 2019-20: Chris Nelson – Bethel University (TN)
JUCO
- 2020-21: No winner named – COVID season
- 2019-20: Cayla Petree – South Plains College (TX)
Capital Elite Agency provides college basketball coaches in the country with counsel, advocacy, interview preparation, and contract negotiation. Our goal is to be a trusted agent and advisor for every step a college basketball coach takes throughout their professional journey. Visit us at www.capitaleliteagency.com to learn more about how we may be able to help you “Prepare to Advance” in your career.
Capital Elite Agency Social Media Handles:
Twitter: @CapEliteAgency / @chadeodonnell
Instagram: @capitaleliteagency
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