April 1, 2011


CUONZO MARTIN WINS THE 2011 BEN JOBE AWARD


HOUSTON, TX -- For his exemplary work during the 2010-11 season, the new head coach at Tennessee and former Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin has been named the recipient of the 2011 Ben Jobe Award.

Martin recently completed his third season at Missouri State, guiding the Bears to a regular season Missouri Valley Conference title. He guided his squad to a second straight postseason appearance in 2011, culminating with a second-round appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.

In the process he became Missouri State's first-ever recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year Award after finishing with a 26-9 record. His overall mark at the school stands at 61-41, including a 50-21 record the last two seasons and a sterling 36-3 ledger at JQH Arena since 2009-10.

The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top minority coach in Division I men’s basketball. Coach Jobe is an icon in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, being 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 Southern's 93-78 win over Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament that still stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.
 

  2011 BEN JOBE AWARD FINALISTS

 BEN JOBE AWARD SELECTION COMMITTEE