Southeast Missouri St.:  SEMO head coach John Ishee was involved in an automobile accident early this morning and is injured and in the hospital according to the school.  Please keep coach in your prayers.

Scoop:  As the season winds down, let us know what you are hearing.  Email us the Scoop at mail@basketballscoop.com.  Our sources always remain confidential.

Southwestern Oklahoma St.:  We hear head coach Todd Thurman has resigned and Wayne Anderson will become the interim head coach.

Eastern New Mexico:  We hear the school has decided not to renew head coach Sean Scanlan’s contract and has begun a search for a new head coach.

Ashland University:  Head coach Roger Lyons announced today that he is retiring.  Over 16 years, Lyons has won nearly 250 games as the head coach of the Eagles.   AD Bill Goldring said he will “go through the process” and will not establish any “artificial deadlines” because he wants to “get a great successor”.

Tiffin:  D-II Tiffin University (OH) announced the resignation of head coach Rodney Martin.  Martin, who came to Tiffin from Norfolk State where he was an assistant, led the Dragons for three seasons.  AD Lonny Allen said the school would immediately begin a national search.

Central State:  D-II Central State (OH) confirmed to BasketballScoop this morning that they have released head coach Patricia Tramble who has been the head coach for the last seven years.  The school said they would immediately begin searching for her successor.

Nazareth College:  Head coach Mike Daley, who recently completed his 23rd season with Nazareth, has announced his retirement.  The school says they will do a national search; but invite applicants to email resume along with cover letter to: humanresources@naz.edu

Weekly Poll:  Be sure to vote in the new Poll on our home page.  Results from last week’s poll:  What factor will most influence your next job decision?  34% Ability to win at that school; 29% Impact on our family life; 20% Pay package; 16% The staff and administration that I will work with.

Vanderbilt Commodores - Women’s Staff:

BasketballScoop asked an SEC head coach this week about Melanie Balcomb’s Commodores.  His reply, “They lost a couple of key players early in conference play and you thought they might have a tough time.  Nope.”  For the first time in Balcomb’s seven seasons at Vandy, the Commodores have finished the regular season ranked second overall in the SEC.  At 21-8 overall, 10-4 in conference, the ‘Dores are looking to make a run to St. Louis. 

Balcomb has long been known as an offensive guru (her teams consistently are in the Top 10 in the game in Field Goal Percentage, #7 this season); but she credits her staff’s work on the other end of the court with a lot of their success this season.  Vicky Picott and Lisa Cermignano “run that side of the court and they do it well”.  Picott also works with the Post players and is said to be “one of the best Post coaches in the game” by a highly regarded SEC assistant.  Balcomb says “Lisa brings a passion for defense in addition to the great job she does with our Guards”.  Her players, and their opponents agree.  Balcomb’s teams always seem to be able to reload with talented young players.  “Since joining the staff two years ago, Kim Rosamond has worked tirelessly at recruiting.”  BasketballScoop notes that the Commodores most recent class was rated in the Top 10 in the country by multiple recruiting websites.   

BasketballScoop recently caught up with the staff, who were quick to credit Balcomb’s style of empowering them and enabling them to do their jobs.  “Melanie delegates well and we all know our responsibilities.  We have a great staff.”  The staff also pointed to the constant support they get from their DBO, Justin VanOrman.  “We’re lucky to have a person with the experience that Justin has.  You just know you can rely on him.” 

An SEC assistant whose team lost to Vandy earlier this season had this to say about the team, “They’re small this year; but they play hard and they are well coached.”  BasketballScoop agrees, Balcomb and her staff Deserve Credit for a great season.  

Deserving Credit:  For the first time in her tenure, Melanie Balcomb’s Vanderbilt Commodores have finished the regular season ranked second in the SEC. Read here why we feel she, and her staff, Deserve Credit.

Deserving Credit:  ”No one wants to open the Tournament against Illinois”.  Read here why BasketballScoop believes coach Bruce Weber and his staff Deserve Credit for getting their team to play their best when it counts.

Alabama - Huntsville:  UAH head coach Jeff Keller has announced his resignation.  AD Jim Harris says they hope fill the position by late Spring.

Malone:  NAIA Malone University (OH) has announced the official retirement of long time head coach Hal Smith.  Smith is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history; however he has been battling health issues over the last few years and has decided that it is time to step down.  Malone is currently seeking applicants for the position.

Illinois Fighting Illini - Men’s Staff:

Bruce Weber and his staff Deserve Credit for the job they have done getting their team in position to deliver in March.  Weber clearly is a brilliant coach; but what stands out about him is the way he treats people.  “Bruce loads the bus, he asks players about their school work, he never misses practice and he probably works harder during practice than any other major head coach” a former staffer told BasketballScoop.  23-7 overall, and 11-6 in conference has the Illini back in the Top 25 and looking to make a splash in the Tournament. 

BasketballScoop spoke with a Big Ten coach whose team split with Illinois this season, “Sometimes it seems that they see something in the game and they make adjustments so quickly.  Their staff is very talented.”  BasketballScoop believes much of that credit should go to assistants Wayne McClain and Jay Price.  McClain is said by some to be one of the best basketball minds in the business.  “Wayne sees things others don’t and can quickly develop a plan to attack the weakness” a colleague told BasketballScoop.  Price is known to be a relentless scouter.  “Jay ensures the team knows the upcoming opponent better than they know themselves.” 

Assistant Jerrance Howard is one of the brightest young coaches in the game.  “He’s going to cut down the nets a few times before he’s done” a Big Ten coach told BasketballScoop.  The Staff is quick to mention that they could not do what they do without the constant support they get from their Strength staff, Trainers and Basketball support staff particularly Gary Nottingham and Sean Harrington. 

Look for Weber and his staff to have their team peaking in the Tournament.  With numerous wins on the road vs. top 25 teams this season, the Illini have demonstrated they can win anywhere.  As an ESPN analyst said recently, “No one wants to open the Tournament against Illinois”.   

Northern State:  Northern State University, located in Aberdeen, SD, is seeking applicants for a graduate assistant. Northern State University is NCAA Division II and is in the NSIC conference.  Send resume and cover letter to:  Head WBB Coach Curt Fredrickson fredricc@northern.edu fax: (605) 626-2238 Phone: (605) 626-7735

UVA:  Contrary to the frequent rumors of his pending dismissal, sources tell BasketballScoop that UVA head coach Dave Leitao is supported in Charlottesville and will return for next season.

Covenant College:  NAIA Covenant (GA) announced the resignation of head coach Nathan Kirkpatrick today.  Covenant is seeking applicants via their website.

Ohio Valley Univ.:  Head coach Alan Carroll has resigned.

Fayetteville St.:  Head coach Sam Hanger’s contract will not be renewed and the school announced that they will immediately begin seeking a new head coach.

UNC - Wilmington:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that head coach Benny Moss has plenty of support from the AD and key boosters.  They remain confident Moss will right the ship next season.

Richmond:  The University announced a contract extension for head coach Chris Mooney; although citing University policies they did not comment on the duration of the extension or any of the terms.

Richmond:  AD Jim Miller announced a contract extension for head coach Michael Shafer.  Terms were not disclosed.

Hendrix College:  Head coach Chris Hitchcock has resigned and men’s assistant Thad McCracken has been named women’s head coach.  Assistant Amber Gean will remain on staff.

Texas - Pan American:  Head coach Tom Schuberth’s contract expires at the end of this month and the school has announced that he will not return.  The school announced that a search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Endicott College:  Head coach Chris Millette has resigned.  The school announced that they are seeking applicants and hope to fill the position by mid-April.

Lander University:  D-II Lander announced the resignation of head coach Bruce Evans.

Columbus State (GA):  AD and head coach Jay Sparks announced last night that he will no longer coach and will focus on the AD job. The next head coach will report to Sparks as the AD.

Dakota St.:  Head coach Wade Kooiman has announced his resignation.

Univ. of the Ozarks:  D-III Univ of the Ozarks is seeking a new head coach.  The position is open immediately.

The Gun:  Missed a few too many this year?  Get your shooters more reps with The Gun by Shootaway.

Elon:  Head coach Ernie Nestor is out.  It is unclear at this time whether he has resigned or if the school took the action.

Rhode Island:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that head coach Tom Garrick is expected to resign this afternoon.

High Point (NC):  Head coach Bart Lundy is out after concluding his sixth season.  This season, the Panthers finished last in the Big South conference.

Wayne State: D-II Wayne St. (Nebraska) announced today that they will not renew the contract of head coach Rico Burkett whose contract expired at the end of this season.  In nine seasons at the helm, Burkett only produced two winnings seasons.

Adrian College:  Legendary head coach Buck Riley has announced his retirement.  Riley has coached the D-III Bulldogs for 27 seasons including over 675 games.

Louisiana Tech:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that AD Derek Dooley will remove the “Interim” from Teresa Weatherspoon’s Interim head coach title soon.

Breaking News Emails:  Want to be in the know when a great job opens up?  Sign up for our “Breaking News” emails in the lower left corner of the page.

Winners to be determined by their peers

BasketballScoop.com and ONS Performance™, makers of Critical Reload™, announced today a new set of “Coaches of the Year” awards focusing on the “Rising Stars” of the College Basketball Coaching profession.  For both Men’s and Women’s college basketball, our panel will select five of the best assistant coaches in the game.

“This is the only national set of awards being presented to assistant coaches.  The winners will represent the best and brightest of the profession; the Rising Stars,” said Scott Roussel, President of BasketballScoop.
Michael Bewley, President and CEO of ONS Performance™ added, “At ONS we pride ourselves on being a key part of a team’s success.  We’re excited to team with BasketballScoop and support these awards recognizing coaches for all that they contribute to the success of the team.”

Key Dates are as follows:
March 10th  – March 25th         Nominations accepted from coaches only
March 30th                              20 Semi-Finalists named (both Men’s and Women’s)
March 30th – April 15th            Votes accepted to determine Finalists
April 20th                                10 Finalists will be announced (Men’s and Women’s)
May 4th                                   Announcements of the winners begin

To nominate a coach, please send an email containing a few supporting sentences to awards@basketballscoop.com.

Coaches will be evaluated in the following areas:  Recruiting, Player Development, Team Development / Scouting, Leadership and Administration. Men’s and Women’s winners will be selected by separate panels, each consisting of current head and assistant coaches.

About ONS Performance:
ONS Performance™ was founded and developed by a Certified Sports Nutritionist and Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach with one goal in mind: Provide safe, high-quality nutritional products for high school, collegiate, and professional athletes to support the energy requirements for sport and exercise, as well as, aid in optimizing recovery. From world-class athletes to health conscious individuals, ONS Performance delivers.

Critical Reload™ is a great tasting, post exercise shake designed specifically to meet the nutritional needs of the athlete. Critical Reload’s unique carbohydrate and protein blend replenishes hard working muscles and restores energy so you can recover faster and kick-start your next workout into high-gear. To learn more visit www.criticalreload.com

Coaches’ Awards:  BasketballScoop 2009 Coaches of the Year awards powered by Critical Reload™ - Learn more by Clicking here.  Want to nominate a coach, please email us at awards@basketballscoop.com.

Coaches’ Awards:  BasketballScoop 2009 Coaches of the Year awards powered by Critical Reload™.  Learn more about the awards by clicking here.  To nomiate a coach, please email us at awards@basketballscoop.com.

Elizabeth City State:  AD Thurlis Little “felt that it was time…to move in a different direction” and with that he relieved head coach Antionette Carr of her coaching responsibilities and named Men’s assistant Alico Dunk Interim head coach.  Dunk apparently has been told he will act as Interim HC for one year during which time he will be considered for the job on a more permanent basis.

SEMO:  SEMO has scheduled an announcement for 2PM tomorrow to announce their new head coach.  We hear the selection will be Dickey Nutt who most recently spent 13 years at Arkansas State (and is the brother of Houston - Ole Miss Football and Dennis - Former HC at Texas State and currently with the Charlotte Bobcats).

Angelo State Univ.:  D-II Angelo State (TX) is seeking applicants for a Graduate Assistant position.  Start date is August 1, 2009.  Send letter of application, resume and contact info along with 3 references to Head Women’s Basketball Coach.  Please email the information to sally.brooks@angelo.edu

1st Step for Energy:  All of the Top 10 teams in the current AP Poll purchase 1st Step for Energy.  See what is powering them here.

Weekly Poll:  Results from last week’s poll:  35% expect normal year of coaching turnover (10-15% of all jobs), 34% expect a lot of changes, 29% expect a couple of surprises; but otherwise a slow year and 3% expect a quiet year for changes.  Vote now in our new poll on the home page.

Boston U.:  Head coach Dennis Wolff has been let go.  The Terriers finished the season 17-13 and recently lost to Maryland-Baltimore County in the American East conference tournament.  This was Wolff’s 15th season at BU.

Long Beach St.:  AD Vic Cegles announced that head coach Mary Hegarty’s contract will not be renewed and that the school will begin a search immediately.  Long Beach ended the season with an 8-21 overall record and 4-12 in the Big West.

UVA - Wise:  10 years at the helm was enough for head coach Rachel Clay-Keohan.  She has announced that she will leave the program to spend more time with her family.

Hutchinson Community College:  HCC announced that head coach Ryan Swanson has resigned.

1st Step for Energy:  8 out of the Top 10 teams in the current AP Poll as well as Lebron & the Cavs, CP3 & the Hornets and Superman & the Magic all purchase 1st Step.  Click here to find out what is powering them.  www.highperformancefitness.com

Penn:  Univ. of Pennsylvania announced that they will not renew the expiring contract of head coach Patrick Knapp who just completed his fifth season at Penn.  The Quakers finished 9-19 overall and 6-8 in the Ivy League.

SEMO:  It’s official, SEMO has announced Dickey Nutt as their new head coach.

Manhattan College:  Head coach Myndi Hill has resigned.

Coaches of the Year:  Know a great assistant coach?  Nominate a deserving coach by sending us an email to awards@basketballscoop.com.  Nominations are being accepted through March 25th.

Coast Guard Academy:  Head coach Alex Simonka has died.  Please keep his family in your prayers.

Frostburg State:  D-III Frostburg is looking for a new GA.  To apply:  send letter of interest, resume, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references by April 3, 2009, to: Frostburg State University,  ATTN: Vickie Mazer: vmmazer@frostburg.edu.

Univ. of Chicago:  D-III Chicago has posted an opening for a full time assistant.

North Florida:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that new AD Lee Moon will make a change at the top of the Men’s program soon.

Willamette:  D-III Willamette is promoting from within.  Assistant Kip Ionae is ascending to head coach following the retirement of long time coach Gordie James.

Willamette:  Anne Lapray has been promoted to head coach after assisting former head coach Bruce Henderson for the past four years.  Henderson passed away in December.

The strength and conditioning staff at the University of Richmond are holding the 2nd annual Central Virginia Sport Performance Seminar on April 17th, 18th and 19th.  This clinic is sure to be the BEST clinic for sport performance specialists in the United States this year.  With a line up this jam packed it is sure to be a weekend of intense mind blowing presentations and a great opportunity for you to discuss training methods with some of the best minds in our field.  The lineup for this year’s seminar is as follows:

Martin Rooney, Dr. Anatoli Bondarchuk, Dr. Michael Yessis, Harvey Newton, Zach Even-Esh, Buddy Morris, Todd Hamer, Jason Riddell, Jedd Johnson

For more information please visit: www.centralvasportperformanceseminar.com

UVA:  Head coach Dave Leitao has resigned.  Leitao met earlier today with AD Craig Littlepage.  Various media outlets are reporting differing accounts of the meeting, with some saying Leitao offered his resignation while others are reporting that his hand was forced.

Oregon:  AD Pat Kilkenny announced this afternoon that head coach Bev Smith’s contract will not be renewed and that the school will immediately begin a national search for her replacement.  Smith was 123-121 in her eight years as head coach (9-21 this season).

Northwest Missouri St.:  Head coach Steve Tappmeyer has announced his resignation.  Tappmeyer has won over 400 games at Northwest.

Ohio Northern:  D-III ONU announced that head coach Jeff Coleman has decided to leave the game, opting instead to move into the business world.  Coleman has been at ONU for 17 years, the last 4 as head coach.

Cal Poly:  BasketballScoop has learned that Cal Poly head coach Kevin Bromley is being bought out of his contract and is no longer with the team.  Bromley has been head coach for the past 12 seasons.  The team struggled this season going 7-21 (3-13 in the Big West).

Appalachian St.:  Head coach Houston Fancher has resigned; but will be paid the remainder of his contract.  Fancher, the head coach for the last nine seasons, had significant success at Appalachian (including winning 25 games 2 seasons ago); however school administrators were ready to make a change after the team went 13-18 this season.

Appalachian St.:  We hear that Monte Towe (NC State Asst.), Jerry Green (former Tennessee HC) and Phil Hopkins (former Western Carolina HC) are all interested in the job and have connections to the decision makers.

Penn:  Penn is seeking applicants for the head coach position.  They have asked that all applicants apply via their website www.hr.upenn.edu

Stony Brook:  Head coach Steve Pikiell has received a three year extension through the 2013-2014 season.

Scoop:  Have Scoop?  Email us at mail@basketballscoop.com  Our sources always remain confidential.

Hutchinson CC:  Hutch has hired Steve Eck.

Mesa St.:  Mesa St. has hired Roger Walters (Grand Valley men’s assistant) as the new head coach.

Virginia State:  Anthony Collins has been told he will be “reassigned”, ending his four year run as head coach.

Dayton:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that Dayton has agreed in principle to a 5 year extension for head coach Brian Gregory through the 2017-2018 season.

Miami Ohio:  Head coach Charlie Coles has accepted a three year contract extension.

Adidas:  As the tournament begins, notice the guys commanding the paint in Adidas’ new Mad Climas – the shoe that keeps them light and cool in the heat of the madness.

Arkansas Pine Bluff:  Head coach Danny Evans will not be renewed and the school has announced that assistant Carey Shelton has been named Interim head coach.  The school announced plans to do a “national search”.

DePaul:  Assistant Scott Wainwright has resigned to pursue another opportunity.

Coaches of the Year:  Nominate your favorite assistant coaches for our Coaches of the Year awards powered by Critical Reload.  To nominate a coach, please email us at awards@basketballscoop.com Nominations are being accepted through Wednesday March 25.

Tournament:  The Dayton Flyers, an 11 seed, won a big game today against West Virginia.  Dayton uses Critical Reload from ONS Performance.

Louisiana Lafayette:  AD David Walker announced last night that head coach Robert Lee would return for next season, ending weeks of speculation that the school would buy him out of the one remaining year on his contract.

Louisiana Lafayette:  AD David Walker announced last night that head coach Errol Rogers would be retained, ending weeks of speculation that Rogers might be bought out of his remaining two years on his contract.

Coaches of the Year:  Nominations are being accepted through Wednesday!  To nominate a deserving assistant coach, email us at awards@basketballscoop.com

Loyola Chicago:  Head coach Shannon Reidy has resigned.

Tennessee St.:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that the school has narrowed their list to three finalists.  Former South Florida head coach Robert McCallum is expected on campus tomorrow we hear and we are told the other two are Michigan associate head coach Jerry Dunn and Tennessee associate head coach Tony Jones.  We hear that if negotiations go well, we could have an announcment late this week, or early next.

Alabama:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that Alabama has locked in on VCU’s Anthony Grant.

Texas - Permian Basin:  D-II UTPB head coach Randy Lee has resigned and is taking the head coaching position at Tennessee Temple (NAIA).

Weekly Poll:  New poll is up on the home page.  Results from last week indicated that two thirds of our voters would rather stay home than play in a tournament not named the NCAA or NIT.

Long Beach City College:  Head coach Gary Anderson announced last night that he plans to step down.  Anderson, who has been at Long Beach since 1975, will remain with the school as part of the faculty and hopes to continue with the basketball program in some capacity.

Penn:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that head coach Glen Miller will return for next season.

Arkansas:  We are hearing that head coach John Pelphrey has received a solid vote of support from the AD who believes Pelphrey is rebuilding the program the right way.  We are told that Pelphrey does not expect to make any staff changes this year.

Midwestern State (TX):  Legendary coach Jeff Ray is stepping down as head coach.  Ray will remain at Midwestern (D-II)  as Director of Men’s and Women’s Golf.  The school has begun a search.

Coaches of the Year:  Two days left to nominate assistants for our Coach of the Year awards.  To nominate a deserving coach, please send us an email at awards@basketballscoop.com

Hilbert College (NY):  Head coach Kara Rehbaum will not return.  AD Richard Walsh says the school will begin seeking a replacement immediately.

North Carolina Central:  BasketballScoop has confirmed that assistant LeVelle Moton will be promoted today to head coach.  Moton, a prolific player at NCCU, has been on the staff for the past 2 seasons.

Missouri S&T:  Dale Martin, who has been head coach for the past 22 seasons, is resigning.  Assistant Jim Glash will become the head coach.

Southern Arkansas:  The school announced that head coach Sam Biley will retire at the end of the 2009 - 2010 season and that current assistant Carrie Slaton will become head coach at that time.

Northwest Mississippi CC:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that head coach Jeff Caldwell will not return next season.

Lincoln Land CC:  Head coach Ryan Jones has resigned.  The school is seeking applicants and would like to fill the position by mid-April.

Coaches of the Year:  Nominations are due today.  To nominate a deserving assistant coach, please email us at awards@basketballscoop.com.  Semi-Finalists will be announced on Monday!

High Point:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that South Carolina assistant Scott Cherry will be announced tomorrow as the new head coach at High Point.  Cherry was part of the UNC 1993 National Championship team and was on the staff at George Mason when they went to the Final Four.

Oregon:  BasketballScoop has learned that Oregon plans to announce Paul Westhead as their new head coach later today.  Westhead made a name for himself by winning a championship with the Lakers in his first season as head coach and then again while leading Loyola Marymount back in the days of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble.  Westhead is the only coach to have won both an NBA and a WNBA championship.

GAs:  Have an opening for a Graduate Assistant?  Let us know and we’ll let coaches around the country know and you’ll get the best person for the job.  Email all openings to:  mail@basketballscoop.com

Lander:  D-II Lander has announced the hiring of Jeff Burkhamer as their new head coach.  Burkhamer comes to Lander from Peach Belt conference rival Armstrong Atlantic State where he has been the head coach for the past seven seasons.

Milligan:  Milligan has hired Bill Robinson as it’s new head coach.  Robinson is the former head coach at Montreat.

Tennessee St.:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that Auburn assistant John Cooper will become the new head coach at Tennessee St.  Cooper has been on Jeff Lebo’s staff for the last 5 seasons.

Winning Hoops has added 9 new coaching blogs to it’s website.  The blogs offer unique perspectives on coaching basketball.  The interactive blogs will be updated frequently.  View Winning Hoops to learn more.

SUNY Cobleskill:  D-III SUNY Cobleskill has a part-time assistant coach position available.  $3,000 stipend, with appointment beginning September 1, 2009 running through April 1, 2010.  Interested applicants should email head coach Matt Allen at:  allenmp@cobleskill.edu

Kentucky:  Head coach Billy Gillispie has been let go.

South Carolina:  Head coach Darrin Horn has promoted director of player development Neill Berry to assistant coach filling the spot vacated when Scott Cherry left to become head coach at High Point.

Alabama:  Alabama has reached an agreement with VCU head coach Anthony Grant to become their next head coach.  An announcment is expected tomorrow.

NYU:  Stefano Trompeo has had the “interim” tag removed and is officially the head coach.

William Jessup U.:  NAIA William Jessup has hired Guin Boggs as their new head coach.  Boggs is a long time high school coach in California.

VCU:  With Anthony Grant heading down to Alabama, AD Norwood Teague stated last night that his initial list of potential replacements includes current assistant Tony Pujol, Auburn’s Jeff Lebo, Florida assistant Shaka Smart and Texas assistant Russell Springmann.  He went on to say that he hopes to have an agreement with the next coach by Thursday.

Long Beach City College:  LBCC has announced that they are promoting assistant Barry Barnes to head coach.

Elon:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that Elon has hired Davidson assistant Matt Matheny as their head coach.  Matheny played at Davidson and has been on staff their for the past 16 seasons.

University of Mary (ND):  Head coach of D-II U. Mary Juno Pintar has resigned.

“Rising Stars”

BasketballScoop.com and ONS Performance™, makers of Critical Reload™, announced today the winners of the “Rising Stars” awards.  The awards recognize those assistant coaches who are some of the best in the business as determined by their peers.

“The best part about these awards is that the process is entirely driven by coaches.  To even be considered for the awards each coach had to have been nominated by another coach in the game.  The winners were then selected by a panel of current head and assistant coaches,” said Scott Roussel, President of BasketballScoop.

Michael Bewley, President and CEO of ONS Performance™ added, “ONS Performance’s Critical Reload would like to congratulate this year’s nominees and winners.  Recognized by their peers for their talent, effort and dedication, Critical Reload is proud to be a sponsor of this elite selection of coaches. Much like these coaches, at ONS Performance our commitment to the athlete is clearly demonstrated in our product design, testing and certification efforts to ensure athletes and coaches receive top-quality health, safety and performance nutrition. Congratulations again to this years winners!”

Roussel added, “Each Finalist is extremely well thought of in the profession and we have received nothing but positive feedback about the awards and each coach.  Our panel felt strongly that each Finalist was deserving and thus in addition to announcing the five Rising Stars we are also naming a second team.”

The BasketballScoop 2009 Coaches of the Year powered by Critical Reload™ are:

Charlie Ernst – Associate Head Coach – University of Findlay

Chris Mack – Head Coach – Xavier University

Leon Rice – Associate Head Coach – Gonzaga

Billy Schmidt – Assistant Coach – University of Dayton

Dedrique Taylor – Associate Head Coach – Arizona St. University

Coaches were evaluated in the following areas:  Recruiting, Player Development, Team Development / Scouting, Leadership and Administration.

Charlie Ernst – Coach Ernst represents the University of Findlay with great pride.  Ernst played and Findlay and has been there ever since.  With nearly 20 years of coaching experience under his belt, Ernst and the Oilers had their most successful season on the court this season.  The Oilers went 36-0 and won the D-II National Championship.  Ernst, who leads the defense and is the recruiting coordinator, “deserves a huge amount of credit” says head coach Ron Niekamp.  Niekamp told BasketballScoop, “Charlie is a great coach and a great person.  He has done everything we have ever asked of him and more.  The players love him and he does a great job on the court.  Charlie is a great ambassador for the University of Findlay.”

Chris Mack – At the time of his nomination, Chris Mack was the Associate Head Coach to Xavier.  Sean Miller left to take the job at Arizona and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski performed a thorough due diligence and came to the decision that Mack was the best person to replace Miller as head coach at Xavier.  Mack, a two time captain while playing at Xavier, coached first under Skip Prosser at Xavier and Wake Forest and had been on Miller’s staff at Xavier for the last five seasons.  Bobinski told BasketballScoop, “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to evaluate a number of highly qualified individuals for our head coaching position. The position our program occupies in the college basketball world today generated a quality group of candidates and any number of them could clearly have been a solid choice. In the end, however, the most impressive candidate, and the person best equipped to lead our program to even greater success in the years ahead, happened to be someone we know very well. I’ve known for some time that Chris was ready to be a successful head coach. I’m very excited to say that he will do so at Xavier.”

Leon Rice – Head Coach Mark Few hired Leon Rice four days after being named head coach in 1999.  Few told BasketballScoop that, “Leon has been so instrumental in helping us do all that we have at Gonzaga.  We couldn’t have done it without him.  Leon’s positive attitude and enthusiasm shine through in everything he does.  He’s a real leader.”  Since Rice came to Gonzaga the Bulldogs have gone 236-60.  Few and Rice have grown the Bulldogs into a nationally respected program that can compete with (and beat) any team they play.

Billy Schmidt – Head Coach Brian Gregory tells BasketballScoop that “Billy Schmidt is truly one of the elite assistant coaches in the country.  He is very dependable and has a great basketball mind.  He knows the right way to run a program on and off the court and he represents our program very well.  Billy’s work ethic is second to none.”  One of Gregory’s first moves when named head coach in 2003 was to hire Schmidt away from Tommy Amaker’s who Schmidt had been with at Seton Hall and Michigan.  Together, Gregory and Schmidt have improved Dayton into a powerhouse in the A-10.  Gregory added, “Billy’s going to do great things in this game for a long, long time.”

Dedrique Taylor – “Dedrique is a coach that parents want their boys to play for and to be around because they know he’s going to teach them the right way” Arizona St. head coach Herb Sendek recently told BasketballScoop.  Sendek went on to say, “Dedrique really is the complete package.  He recruits extremely well, he develops athletes into great players, he can breakdown an opponent better than most and his game prep is excellent.  He really can do it all.”  In the three seasons that Taylor has been at Arizona St. the Sun Devils have seen their win total rise from 8 to 25 and the future looks bright.

The Second Team consists of Ron Bradley (Clemson), Wayne McClain (Illinois), Dave Rice (BYU), Brian Wardle (Wisc. Green Bay) and Michael White (Ole Miss).  Regarding this group, Roussel added, “Dr. Bradley has been successful everywhere he has been, certainly including his years as head coach at Radford.  His current and former players speak very proudly of coach Bradley.  Coach McClain is like a father to many of his former players and receives (and deserves) praise from the rest of the coaches on his staff and in his conference frequently.  Coach Rice does it the right way and has BYU playing at a higher level than they have in decades.  Coach Wardle is a great up and coming coach.  You’ll be hearing his name for a long time.  And Michael White, who couldn’t be a better person, is very deserving of recognition.  What he and the staff at Ole Miss have done is really impressive.  Look for White to continue to do great things for his team, and his alma mater, for a long time.”

To read more about these awards, click here for the original announcment.

“Rising Stars”

BasketballScoop.com and ONS Performance™, makers of Critical Reload™, announced today the winners of the “Rising Stars” awards.  The awards recognize those assistant coaches who are some of the best in the business as determined by their peers.

“The best part about these awards is that the process is entirely driven by coaches.  To even be considered for the awards each coach had to have been nominated by another coach in the game.  The winners were then selected by a panel of current head and assistant coaches,” said Scott Roussel, President of BasketballScoop.

Michael Bewley, President and CEO of ONS Performance™ added, “ONS Performance’s Critical Reload would like to congratulate this year’s nominees and winners.  Recognized by their peers for their talent, effort and dedication, Critical Reload is proud to be a sponsor of this elite selection of coaches. Much like these coaches, at ONS Performance our commitment to the athlete is clearly demonstrated in our product design, testing and certification efforts to ensure athletes and coaches receive top-quality health, safety and performance nutrition. Congratulations again to this years winners!”

Roussel added, “Each Finalist is extremely well thought of in the profession and we have received nothing but positive feedback about the awards and each coach.  Our panel felt strongly that each Finalist was deserving and thus in addition to announcing the five Rising Stars we are also naming a second team.”

The BasketballScoop 2009 Coaches of the Year powered by Critical Reload™ are:

Mike Neighbors – Assistant Coach – Xavier University

Jennifer Roos – Associate Head Coach – Bowling Green

Vic Schaefer – Associate Head Coach – Texas A&M

Jackie Smith Carson – Associate Head Coach – James Madison

Jonathan Tsipis – Associate Head Coach – Notre Dame

Coaches were evaluated in the following areas:  Recruiting, Player Development, Team Development / Scouting, Leadership and Administration.

Mike Neighbors – Xavier head coach Kevin McGuff recently told BasketballScoop that Neighbors is “a great coach, an incredibly hard worker and an even better person.”  One of Neighbors primary tasks for the Musketeers is scouting the opponents and preparing a game plan to attack their weaknesses.  McGuff told BasketballScoop that, “Mike is one of the best I’ve ever seen at finding ways to stop an opponent from doing what they want to do on the court.”  Two years ago Neighbors left his alma mater, Arkansas, for the opportunity to coach with McGuff at Xavier.  In the two seasons, Xavier has gone 49-16 (24-4 in conference) and they led the country in field goal percentage defense this season.

Jennifer Roos – Head coach Curt Miller tells BasketballScoop that, “At Bowling Green defense leads the way Jennifer is our defensive coordinator.”  The Falcon defense consistently leads their conference in most defensive categories and ranks very high nationally as well.  Five seasons ago, Miller named Roos Associate Head Coach.  The Falcons have won their conference every year since.  Miller sees the connection, adding, “Jennifer is really one of the elite assistants in the country.”  In addition to her role on the court, Roos is also the team’s recruiting coordinator and is credited by Miller with helping the Falcons grow from a mid-major into a Top 40 caliber team, “Jennifer works very hard to ensure we get the right players into the program and she deserves every bit of the credit she gets.  She’s great!”

Vic Schaefer – Schaefer has coached under Gary Blair for 12 seasons.  Blair tells BasketballScoop that, “Vic is one of the best coaches in the game.  He puts everything he has into making the program a success.  Vic tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear and that makes us a better team.”  One highly respected coach told BasketballScoop that watching an Aggie practice is fascinating, “When it comes time to talk defense, Coach Blair turns it over to Vic and Vic runs the show.  He’s really a brilliant defensive coach.”  Schaefer served as head coach of the bronze medal winning US team at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan in 2007.

Jackie Smith Carson – Head coach Kenny Brooks told BasketballScoop, “Jackie is going to have a very positive impact on the game for a long time.  She’s probably the best coach I’ve ever worked with.  I have to fight to keep her every year.”  Nearly every coach BasketballScoop spoke with in connection with the awards said Coach Carson is something special.  In her four seasons at JMU, the Dukes have averaged nearly 25 wins per season while going 99-33 overall and have participated in post season play every year.

Jonathan Tsipis – Coach Tsipis has worked under three national championship winning head coaches and has a great basketball network. Tsipis, the Irish’s recruiting coordinator, has helped Notre Dame attract 12 straight Top 20 recruiting classes.  Head coach Muffet McGraw tells BasketballScoop that, “Jonathan knows somebody everywhere we go and he is very respected by other coaches and players.  He really enjoys recruiting and excels at player development.”  McGraw added that Tsipis is, “very organized and thorough and prepares the team very well for upcoming opponents.  His basketball mind never stops working.” McGraw added, “There are a lot of games that we would not have won without Jonathan’s insight and hard work.”

The Second Team consists of Cori Close (Florida St.), Chris Dailey (Connecticut), Curt Kassab (VCU), Lisa McDonald (Ball St.) and Stephanie Norman (Louisville).  Regarding this group, Roussel added, “Cori has done a great job on both coasts.  She has the respect of coaches across the country and will be a great head coach someday soon.  Chris Dailey is an exceptional coach and Geno gives her a lot of credit.  She brings in the best talent.  Curt is a great coach.  He has only been coaching at the college level for two seasons and there is already a national buzz about him.  He’s going to be a guy to watch for a longtime, players love playing for him.  Lisa has been an integral part of Ball State’s success under two head coaches.  She works hard and is very well thought of in the profession.  Stephanie and Jeff (Walz) have put together a great program at Louisville.  They had a great run this year culminating in a season ending loss to UConn in the National Championship game.  Stephanie is a hard-nosed recruiter.  Other coaches around the country know they’re in for a battle if they are competing with Stephanie for a player.”

To read more about these awards, click here to see the original announcement.