In addition to Wednesday’s nomination as the top coach in NCAA Division II, Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum was named a finalist for the 2012 John McLendon National Coach of the Year Award that is presented to the top collegiate head coach. The award encompasses NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III NAIA and JUCO.
McCollum joins a list of 15 coaches from around the country that includes University of Missouri head coach Frank Haith, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Kentucky’s John Calipari. McCollum guided the Bearcats from a 10th-place finish a year ago to the top of the MIAA and a shared regular season championship. Northwest finished 22-7 on the year as McCollum was named MIAA Coach of the Year led the Bearcats to their first NCAA tournament berth in three years. The winner will be announced at an awards banquet on March 30 in New Orleans, the site of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Below is the complete list of coaches:
Ken Ammann, Concordia University Irvine
Mike Brey, University of Notre Dame
Horace Broadnax, Savannah State
John Calipari, University of Kentucky
John Cooper, Tennessee State
Jim Crutchfield, West Liberty
Steve Green, South Plains College
Frank Haith, University of Missouri
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Marcus Kahn, Cabrini College
Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State University
Danny Miles, Oregon Tech
Pat Miller, Wisconsin-Whitewater
Matt Neil, Hope College
Paul Peck, Lindsey Wilson College
Chad Warner, Shorter University