THE BEN JOBE AWARD

March 5, 2025

FINALISTS FOR 2024-25 BEN JOBE AWARD
The top minority head coaches in college basketball

BOSTON, MA -- CollegeInsider.com has announced the finalists for the 2024-25 Ben Jobe award. The award is presented annually to the top minority head coach in division I college basketball.

The Ben Jobe Award is named in honor of one of the most iconic coaches in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He was also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee, and South Carolina State.

His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was leading No. 15 seed Southern to a 93-78 win over No. 2 Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.

Coach Jobe passed away on March 10, 2017.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

 BEN JOBE AWARD FINALISTS

Alvin Brooks

Lamar

Penny Collins

Tennessee State

Chris Crutchfield

Omaha

Travis DeCuire

Montana

Dennis Gates

Missouri

Penny Hardaway

Memphis

Cornelius Jackson

Marshall

Kevin Johnson

Southern

James Jones

Yale

Mike Jones

UNCG

Robert Jones

Norfolk State

Chris Markwood

Maine

Erik Martin

South Carolina State

Ritchie McKay

Liberty

Antoine Pettway

Kennesaw State

Richie Riley

South Alabama

Daniyal Robinson

Cleveland State

Kelvin Sampson

Houston

Patrick Sellers

Central Connecticut State

Takayo Siddle

UNCW

Duane Simpkins

American

Tony Skinn

George Mason

Shaka Smart

Marquette

Damon Stoudamire

Georgia Tech

Drew Valentine

Loyola Chicago

 

The Ben Jobe Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I minority coach, is named in honor of one of the finest men to ever college basketball.
 
Coach Jobe is an icon in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of the Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He was also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee and South Carolina State.
 
His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships.

Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was leading No. 15 seed Southern to a 93-78 win over No. 2 Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.
 
The Ben Jobe award voting panel is made up of current division I coaches, athletic administrators, and senior College Insider staff members.  The recipient of the 2024-25 award will be announced in April, in San Antonio, TX site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.
 

The Ben Jobe award is presented annually to top minority coach in division I college basketball, as voted on by the award committee.
 
The 10-member voting committee consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
 
The award is presented annually at the site of the men's Division I NCAA basketball championship. 

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