Kelvin Sampson Headlines 2024 Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Houston's Kelvin Sampson, UConn's Dan Hurley and Purdue's Matt Painter were three of the 10 coaches named semifinalists for the 2023-24 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award on Thursday.
The full list of semifinalists for the most prestigious coaching award in men's college basketball includes:
- Amir Abdur-Rahim (South Florida)
- Hubert Davis (North Carolina)
- Dan Hurley (UConn)
- T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State)
- Matt Painter (Purdue)
- Lamont Paris (South Carolina)
- Kelvin Sampson (Houston)
- Josh Schertz (Indiana State)
- Kyle Smith (Washington State)
- Danny Sprinkle (Utah State)
Naismith Awards @NaismithTrophy🚨 ATTENTION 🚨 <br><br>Introducing the 2024 <a href="">@wernerladderco</a> Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists🔥<a href="">#WernerLadderNaismith</a> <a href="">
Sampson's Houston Cougars are the No. 1-ranked team in the nation with a 29-3 record, and they are on a 10-game winning streak in the midst of the Big 12 tournament.
Neither Sampson nor any of the other semifinalists have ever been named Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year before, and Sampson is one of the accomplished coaches who has yet to win it.
In 31 seasons as a Division I head coach at Washington State, Sampson is 686-304, and he has taken teams to the Final Four on two occasions.
Sampson may be the front-runner, but Hurley can make a strong case as well on the heels of leading the UConn Huskies to a national title last season.
Like Houston, Connecticut is 29-3 on the year, which is good enough for the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
Six seasons into his tenure at UConn after stops at Wagner and Rhode Island, Hurley has the Huskies back among the elite programs in men's college basketball, and they are once again among the top contenders to win it all in 2024.
Painter has led the Purdue Boilermakers to 29 wins in back-to-back seasons, and they are just one win away from reaching that mark again this season, as they sit at 28-3 and are the No. 3 team in the country.
Purdue is hoping to go on a deeper run this season after getting shocked by Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season as a No. 1 seed.
Painter has the benefit of the reigning College Player of the Year in center Zach Edey, who may go back-to-back by virtue of averages of 24.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game this season.
North Carolina's Hubert Davis is the other semifinalist who has his team ranked nationally in the top 5, as the Tar Heels are No. 4 in the country with a 26-6 mark, including seven wins in a row.
Replacing legendary coach Roy Williams, Davis took UNC to the National Championship Game in his first season in 2022, but the team missed the NCAA tournament last season.
With a strong recruiting class coming in, Davis has North Carolina back in national title contention this season, and he has a strong case to be Coach of the Year as well.
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