April 5, 2019
THE 2019 AWARD
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Liberty’s Ritchie McKay is the 2018-19 recipient of the Jim Phelan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top Division I coach.
In the fourth season of his second stint at Liberty, the former Tony Bennett assistant guided the Flames to a school-record 29 victories and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2013. Liberty claimed the Atlantic Sun tournament championship, winning at Lipscomb in the finals after sharing the regular season crown in its first year in the conference.
The Flames, a 12 seed, stunned Mississippi State 80-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Virginia Tech 67-58 in the second round.
McKay, 53, has a 265-212 overall record and has led Liberty to three consecutive 20-win seasons.
The award is named in honor of the legendary bow-tied coach who spent his entire career at Mount Saint Mary’s University, leading 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.
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
