March 20, 2012

Amaker Named NABC District Coach of the Year, Among Finalists for Ben Jobe, Hugh Durham National Coaching Awards

Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker and the Crimson went 26-5 in 2011-12 (Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard men's basketball head coach Tommy Amaker has been named a finalist for two prestigious coaching awards – the Ben Jobe Award and the Hugh Durham Award – after guiding the Crimson to a program-recorded 26 victories and the program's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1946. Amaker has also been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 13 Coach of the Year.

Amaker, who was also a finalist for these two awards, last season, just completed his fifth year at the helm of the Crimson and was recently tabbed the United States Basketball Writers Association of America (USBWA) District I Coach of the Year. Amaker led Harvard to a 26-5 overall record and a 12-2 mark in the Ivy League, as the Crimson won its second straight Ivy League title.
The Crimson went 11-1 at home and earned the title at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas in November, defeating Utah, Florida State and Central Florida. Harvard entered the postseason No. 35 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history.

Amaker is among 21 finalists for the Ben Jobe Award, which 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. He is best known as the head coach of the Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He has also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee and South Carolina State. 

Amaker is also a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, which is given each year to the top mid-major coach in Division I college basketball. The award is named after Hugh Durham who is the first and only coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to lead two different schools to the NCAA Final Four for the first and only time in each school's history (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). Amaker is one of 21 finalists for the Durham Award.

The winner will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet on March 30 in New Orleans, site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.