The Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year is a basketball award given to head coaches in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The award is presented to the head coach voted to be the most successful that season by the league's coaches. The award was first given following the 1982–83 season, the second year of the conference's existence, to Matt Furjanic of Robert Morris.[1]
| Awarded for | the most outstanding men's basketball head coach in the Northeast Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| First award | 1982–83 |
| Most recent | Chris Kraus, Stonehill |
Howie Dickenman of Central Connecticut has won the most awards with four. Bashir Mason of Wagner has won three, and seven other coaches have won the award twice. One former NEC Coach of the Year has been inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach: Jim Phelan (inducted 2001). Due to Phelan's success, in 2003 the NEC men's basketball coach of the year award was named in his honor.[2] Also of note, the only year when the award was shared was in 1993 with Jim Phelan and Kevin Bannon as winners. The program with the most winners, both by total awards and distinct recipients, is former member Robert Morris, with six awards won by four coaches. Among current members, Wagner has the most by both criteria, with three coaches combining to win five awards. The only current NEC members without a winner are Sacred Heart, members since 1999, and Le Moyne, which plays its first NEC season in 2023–24.
Winners
editWinners by school
editYears in this table reflect calendar years in which basketball seasons end. Since the basketball season spans two calendar years, each school's first year of membership in this table is the calendar year after its actual arrival in the conference.
| School (NEC participation) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Morris (1982–2020) | 6 | 1983, 1989, 1990, 2008, 2009, 2014 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn (1982–2023) | 5 | 1991, 1998, 2004, 2012, 2015 |
| Wagner (1982–present) | 5 | 1992, 2003, 2016, 2018, 2021 |
| Central Connecticut (1997–present) | 5 | 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2024 |
| LIU (1982–present)[c] | 3 | 1997, 2005, 2011 |
| Mount St. Mary's (1989–2022) | 3 | 1993, 1996, 2017 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson (1982–present) | 2 | 1985, 1986 |
| Marist (1981–1997) | 2 | 1987, 1995 |
| Monmouth (1985–2013) | 2 | 1988, 2001 |
| Rider (1992–1997) | 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Bryant (2008–2022) | 2 | 2013, 2022 |
| Loyola (1981–1989) | 1 | 1984 |
| Merrimack (2020–present) | 1 | 2020 |
| Quinnipiac (1998–2013) | 1 | 2010 |
| Saint Francis (1982–present) | 1 | 2019 |
| Stonehill (2022–present) | 1 | 2023 |
| Le Moyne (2024–present) | 0 | — |
| Sacred Heart (1999–present) | 0 | — |
- Notes
- ^ Because Merrimack was in the first season of its four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, it was not eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play (either the NCAA Tournament or NIT), and under NEC rules was also ineligible for the conference tournament. The Warriors were eligible to compete in non-NCAA postseason events, but all postseason play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ Because Stonehill was in the first season of its four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, it was not eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play (either the NCAA Tournament or NIT), and under NEC rules was also ineligible for the conference tournament.
- ^ From 1981 to 2019, Long Island University was represented in the Northeast Conference by its Brooklyn campus, known for athletic purposes as "Long Island" through the 2012–13 season and "LIU Brooklyn" from 2013–14 forward. After the 2018–19 season, LIU merged the athletic programs of its Brooklyn and Post campuses into a single program, now competing as the LIU Sharks, that inherited the NCAA Division I and Northeast Conference memberships of the Brooklyn campus.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "NEC men's basketball record book 1982-2014" (PDF). northeastconference.org. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "NEC Hall of Fame- Jim Phelan". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "St. Francis Brooklyn's Glenn Braica Named District 18 NABC Coach of the Year". NortheastConference.org. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Bashir Mason Named 2015-16 Jim Phelan Northeast Conference Coach Of The Year; Carey & Henson Named To Second Team". wagnerathletics.com. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Jamion Christian Named NEC Coach of the Year; Elijah Long Named First Team All-NEC; Junior Robinson Second Team All-NEC". mountathletics.com. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Mount St. Mary's Junior Robinson Named NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ^ "SFU'S Keith Braxton named NEC men's basketball player of the year" (Press release). Northeast Conference. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Saint Francis U's Isaiah Blackmon Tabbed NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). Northeast Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year Alex Morales Highlights Wagner Awards Haul" (Press release). Northeast Conference. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ "Two-For-2: Wagner's Alex Morales Repeats As #NECMBB Player of the Year". Northeast Conference. March 1, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ^ "Two of a Kind: SFU's Josh Cohen & Merrimack's Jordan Minor Share #NECMBB Player of the Year Honors". Northeast Conference. February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "2023–24 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Award Winners" (PDF). Northeast Conference. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.