By AJ Nelson, WHoopDirt.com staff writer
Congratulations to the following coaches who have been selected as the Week 7 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 7 winners are:
NCAA DI: Seton Sobolewski – Idaho State University
Two more victories this week have Coach Sobolewski’s Bengals off to the best start in program history. Idaho State took down Northern Arizona, 70-66, in a closely-contested affair on Thursday before leading by as many as 22 on the way to a 78-65 win over the same opponent on Saturday. These victories moved Idaho State to 8-1 (6-0 Big Sky) on the season, marking the best start in program history. The 6-0 start in conference play is the program’s best since the 2011-12 season. The Bengals will look to continue their hot start when they travel to Sacramento State for a two game series starting on Thursday.
NCAA DII: Carrie Eighmey – University of Nebraska at Kearney
A pair of road wins this week put Coach Eighney and her unbeaten Nebraska-Kearney squad in sole possession of first-place in the MIAA. The Lopers jumped out to a 12-point first quarter lead on the way to a 68-53 triumph over Lincoln on Thursday. They next faced off against Central Missouri in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in the conference. Nebraska-Kearney was able to take a huge 68-56 victory, marking their first ever win at Central Missouri, and snapping UCM’s 18-game home winning streak. Now 8-0 (8-0 MIAA) on the season, the Lopers were ranked No. 6 overall in the NCAA’s first Power 10 rankings, which were released on Sunday. They face off against Missouri Western State at home on Thursday.
NCAA DIII: No week 7 winner awarded
NAIA: Courtney Boyd – Clarke University (IA)
This week, Coach Boyd guided Clarke to a pair of hard-fought victories over quality opponents to improve the Pride’s winning streak to 10. No. 13 Clarke opened the week on the road with a matchup against Grand View, who had received votes in the latest Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Pride found themselves down by as many as 21 in the first half, but fought back to force overtime and come away with a stunning 64-62 victory. Clarke then used another huge second half to pull away from No. 12 St. Francis and take a 68-54 triumph. The Pride are now 11-1 on the season, and haven’t lost since November 18th. They are back in action on Saturday when they take on Peru State on the road.
JUCO: No week 7 winner awarded
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
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.
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.
