“He DESERVES… ”: Experts Come Together and Decided Their Midseason Coach of the Year

The NCAA campaign is already in its mid-season. Over the past couple of months, fans have witnessed some of the finest exhibitions of college basketball in the men’s division from some of the best teams. However, as much as we like to credit the talent and skill these teams possess, we often forget to mention the unsung heroes behind the overall success.

Nonetheless, a popular group of analysts got together and recognized the contributions of some of the best head coaches in this NCAA division. Who are the cream of the crop when it comes to coaches? Let’s find out!

The man behind James Madison’s unbeaten run

The Field Of 68: After Dark had a pretty interesting segment recently. Rob Dauster, Doug Gottlieb and Matt McCall handed out midseason awards. Following this, when it came to deciding the Coach Of the Year, UMass coach Matt McCall was asked first to give his verdict. Apparently, the name that popped into his head was James Madison’s head coach Mark Byington. Matt said, “Give me Mark Byington. James Madison is 12-0 right now. Knocked off Michigan to start the season off. It’s doing an unbelievable job. They’re going to compete for the title in their league. To go 12-0 pre-Christmas at that level is super impressive. I’m going Mark Byington from James Madison.” 

The James Madison Duke are unbeaten in all the games this season. Seemingly, they kicked start their campaign causing an upset to the Big 10 heavyweights the Spartans in a 79-76 thriller. After this, they haven’t looked back and have dominated every game against each and every opponent. As a result, they now have a chance to claim the Sun Belt title.

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The discussion didn’t end there as there were some more worthy contenders.

Other worthy choices

Later, Rob Dauster and Doug Gottlieb did have their picks as well in this category. Doug went first and picked Illinois coach Brad Underwood as his first choice. He explained, “I’m going to go with Brad Underwood. I think he’s doing a fantastic job.” Interestingly, Underwood was a runner-up in Dauster’s list. Rob’s pick of the lot was the 2012 NCAA champion with Kentucky John Calipari. Rob said, “I’m gonna go with John Calipari for a number of reasons. The biggest one of which is he adjusted what he does. He’s winning with a whole bunch of freshmen.” 

These were some quality picks from these popular observers of the sport. There is no denying that each of these coaches has inspired their team in the best possible way. Moreover, the influence and impact they had is reflected in their team’s performances.

What are your thoughts on them? Let us know in the comments section.

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