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April
2, 2010
Jamie Dixon recipient of 2010 Jim Phelan National
Coach of the Year Award
 INDIANAPOLIS
(IN) -- In what had been deemed as a rebuilding
season, Jamie Dixon generated what may have been his
finest coaching performance to date. Despite losing
four starters from the previous season’s Elite Eight
team, Pittsburgh won 25 games and was a shot away
from advancing to the Sweet Sixteen this year.
That kind success made Dixon an easy choice as this
year’s recipient of the Jim Phelan National Coach of
the Year Award. This expands an already packed
personal trophy case for Dixon. His previous
accolades include the 2004 Big East Coach of the
Year Award, the 2009 USA Basketball National Coach
of the Year and the 2009 Naismith National Coach of
the Year Award.
Pittsburgh overcame major personnel losses this
season that would have decimated most programs.
Dixon’s team relied on old fashioned defensive
toughness to keep the winning ways going. The
Panthers led the Big East in scoring defense (61.8
ppg) and finished third in the conference in field
goal percentage defense (40%).
Dixon’s team was wonderfully consistent this season,
never losing more than two consecutive games. With
the NCAA Tournament victory over Oakland, six out of
Dixon’s seven Pittsburgh teams have advanced past
the first round of the event. He currently sports
the best winning percentage out of every active Big
East coach.
The other finalists for the award were Steve Alford
(New Mexico), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), John Calipari
(Kentucky), Steve Donohue (Cornell), Fran Dunphy
(Temple), Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa), mid-season
honoree Frank Martin (Kansas State), Chris Mooney
(Richmond), Matt Painter (Purdue), Bo Ryan Bill Self
(Kansas), Brad Stevens (Butler)Mark Turgeon (Texas
A&M) and Jay Wright (Villanova).
Prior to 2003 the award was known simply as the
CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year Award.
It was renamed to honor longtime Mount St. Mary’s
head coach Jim Phelan, who retired following the
2002-03 season.
The previous winners of the award were John Calipari
(Memphis 2009), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin 2008), Tony
Bennett (Washington State 2007), Ben Howland (UCLA
2006), Tubby Smith (Kentucky 2005) Phil Martelli
(St. Joseph’s 2004) and Mark Slonaker (Mercer 2003).
THE
SELECTION COMMITTEE
The
selection committee is chaired by Jim Phelan (former
head basketball coach, Mount St. Mary's College).
JOHN AKERS
Editor-in-Chief, Basketball Times
JAY BILAS
Senior College Basketball Analyst, ESPN
MILAN BROWN
Head Men's Basketball Coach, Mount St. Mary's
TIM CAPSTRAW
Color Analyst, New Jersey Nets
MATT DRAKE
Senior Writer, CollegeInsider.com
JOE DWYER
Co-Founder, CollegeInsider.com
MIKE HARDISKY
Assistant Director of Athletics, Mount St. Mary's
DON HARNUM
Director of Athletics, Rider University
JAVAN HEDLUND
Assistant Commissioner, Mountain West Conference
BRAD HOLLAND
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, University of
California Santa Barbara
GREG KAMPE
Head Men's Basketball Coach, Oakland University
DANNY KASPAR
Head Men's Basketball Coach, Stephen F. Austin
University
LARRY KEATING
Senior Associate Director of Athletics, University
of Kansas
ANGELA LENTO
Co-Founder, CollegeInsider.com
DAVE MAGARITY
Head Women's Basketball Coach, Army
REGGIE MINTON
Executive Director, National Association of
Basketball Coaches
DEWAYNE PEEVY
Associate Athletics Director, Media Relations,
University of Kentucky
DEE STOKES
Former Head Women's Basketball Coach, Winston Salem
State University
BOBBY WILLIAMS
Director of Athletics, Sam Houston State University
WILLIS WILSON
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, Memphis University |