FINALISTS FOR 2005 JIM PHELAN NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

March 1, 2005

The ten finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award were announced on Monday. The 2005 recipient will be announced on April 1, at the Final Four in St. Louis.

Ray Giacoletti (Utah)
Bobby Lutz (Charlotte)
Bruce Pearl (Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Skip Prosser (Wake Forest)
Al Skinner (Boston College)
Tubby Smith (Kentucky)
Bob Thomason (Pacific)
Bruce Weber (Illinois)
Ralph Willard (Holy Cross)
Roy Williams (North Carolina)

The Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, in conjunction with CollegeInsider.com, is voted on by a 21-member panel, which is chaired by the former Mount St. Mary?s head coach. The voting panel is made up of current and retired head coaches, athletic administrators and distinguished members of the media.

CollegeInsider.com renamed its National Coach of the Year Award to honor Coach Phelan. Mercer?s Mark Slonaker was the first recipient of the award in 2003 and St. Joseph?s Phil Martelli was honored in 2004.

Previous recipients of the CollegeInsider.com National coach of the Year include Rod Barnes (Mississippi), Rob Evans (Mississippi), Bob Huggins (Cincinnati), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin).