April 3, 2017
2017 JIM PHELAN AWARD
PHOENIX, AZ -- South Carolina’s Frank Martin is the recipient of the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award.
Martin led South Carolina to 26 wins and the school’s first-ever appearance in the Final Four. It was the Gamecocks first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2004 and the 26 wins are the most in the program’s 109 seasons. He tied the program record with 25 wins last season.
“Frank Martin is a winner,” said CollegeInsider.com’s Angela Lento. “It should come as no surprise that he led South Carolina to the best season in school history. He’s one of the best coaches in the country.”
The Gamecocks posted 11 RPI top 100 wins during the regular season and spent nine weeks ranked in the Associated Press' Top 25 Poll.
The Jim Phelan award is presented annually to the top coach in division I men's basketball. Phelan led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship. When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.
THE 2017 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS
Steve Alford | UCLA |
Dana Altman | Oregon |
Rod Barnes | CSU Bakersfield |
John Becker | Vermont |
John Calipari | Kentucky |
Chris Collins | Northwestern |
Kermit Davis | Middle Tennessee |
Johnny Dawkins | UCF |
Jamie Dixon | TCU |
Mark Few | Gonzaga |
Mitch Henderson | Princeton |
Chris Holtmann | Butler |
Kevin Keatts | UNC Wilmington |
Frank Martin | South Carolina |
Matt Painter | Purdue |
Josh Pastner | Georgia Tech |
Richard Pitino | Minnesota |
Bill Self | Kansas |
Mike White | Florida |
Roy Williams | North Carolina |
2023: Chris Collins, Northwestern
2022: Mark Adams, Texas Tech
2021: Todd Simon, Southern Utah
2020: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
2019: Ritchie McKay, Liberty
2018: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State
2017: Frank Martin, South Carolina
2016: Greg Gard, Wisconsin
2015: Bob Huggins, West Virginia
2014: Tim Miles, Nebraska
2013: Dana Altman, Oregon
2012: Mike Brey, Notre Dame
2011: Stew Morrill, Utah State
2010: Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
2009: John Calipari, Memphis
2008: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
2007: Tony Bennett, Washington State
2006: Ben Howland, UCLA
2005: Tubby Smith, Kentucky
2004: Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's
2003: Mark Slonaker, Mercer