Ben Jacobson named finalist for Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award
3/22/2022 3:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI head men's basketball coach Ben Jacobson has been named as one of 20 finalists for the 2022 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award, as announced by the award committee on Monday.
The annual award is presented to the top mid-major men's basketball coach in NCAA Division I and is named after Hugh Durham, who helped build winning program at Jacksonville, Florida State and Georgia.
The head coaches of teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.
This season, Jacobson coached the Panthers to a 20-12 overall record and 14-4 mark in MVC play, securing the program's fourth overall regular season conference title, and third outright championship. Two Panthers earned All-MVC honors including AJ Green, who picked up his second Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year and MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in the last three seasons. Second year guard Bowen Born also was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year and was selected to the MVC's All-Bench Team. UNI earned the league's automatic berth to National Invitation Tournament, where the Panthers defeated Saint Louis on the road in the first round, before falling at BYU in the second round.
Jacobson, who just completed his 16th season as head coach for UNI, has averaged 20 wins per season since being named head coach in March 2006, winning a career total of 321 games. Under his leadership, the Panthers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016), as well as the NIT twice (2012, 2022) and the CIT in 2013. UNI has won four MVC Tournament titles during his tenure (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016), as well as 9 postseason games across the NCAA, NIT and CIT Tournaments.
The winner of the Hugh Durham Award will be announced on Friday, April 1 at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, La.
The annual award is presented to the top mid-major men's basketball coach in NCAA Division I and is named after Hugh Durham, who helped build winning program at Jacksonville, Florida State and Georgia.
The head coaches of teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.
This season, Jacobson coached the Panthers to a 20-12 overall record and 14-4 mark in MVC play, securing the program's fourth overall regular season conference title, and third outright championship. Two Panthers earned All-MVC honors including AJ Green, who picked up his second Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year and MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in the last three seasons. Second year guard Bowen Born also was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year and was selected to the MVC's All-Bench Team. UNI earned the league's automatic berth to National Invitation Tournament, where the Panthers defeated Saint Louis on the road in the first round, before falling at BYU in the second round.
Jacobson, who just completed his 16th season as head coach for UNI, has averaged 20 wins per season since being named head coach in March 2006, winning a career total of 321 games. Under his leadership, the Panthers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016), as well as the NIT twice (2012, 2022) and the CIT in 2013. UNI has won four MVC Tournament titles during his tenure (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016), as well as 9 postseason games across the NCAA, NIT and CIT Tournaments.
The winner of the Hugh Durham Award will be announced on Friday, April 1 at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, La.
Players Mentioned
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