The year 2023 brought about many injuries and roster switches. However, nothing stopped the coaches from doing what they know best–coaching! This year, we observed some epic mentoring moments. Hence, it only makes sense to give these lifelines of a team something appreciative.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club presents top coaches every year and one of them gets the Naismith Coach of the Year award. Let us look at five coaches who completely surprised the basketball fans by unlocking the beast mode of their respective teams.
The leading NCAA ladies
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The Naismith Coach of the Year 2023 went to the most deserving–Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks. She has proven yet again that she is the best mentor a team can have. This she did by winning the Naismith Coach of the Year 2023 award twice in a row. The Gamecocks have won the championship twice, back in 2017 and 2022. Further, they continue to be one of the most dominant teams in the NCAA. She has built the team from scratch and shown immense loyalty to South Carolina which is proven by them being the nation’s No. 1 team in offensive rating and No. 2 in defensive rating.
Standing just behind the winner of the Naismith Award for the best coach for the year 2023 is none other than– Kim Mulkey. She is arguably one of the best coaches in the NCAA history. This is proven by the fact that in just two seasons with LSU, she has not only improved their skills but also led them to the national champions trophy. The Tigers still continue to perform incredibly, showing their dominance over the NCAA tournaments like none other.
Read More- Top 5 Coaches Who Can Lead Their Team to NCAA Women’s Glory
The year 2023 gave us some worthy coaches to lead the teams. Here are more mentors that changed how their teams performed.
Other note-worthy coaches of 2023
Lisa Bluder is undeniably ticking all the boxes to get her team Iowa Hawkeyes to the top. In her presence, the team has become NCAA runner-up for the first time in history. Further, there is no question on how well the team is performing. Adding cherry to the top is Caitlin Clark who is without a doubt the best player in the NCAA and is breaking records held by the legends right and left. Following this is Vic Schaefer of the Texas Longhorns. Currently, the team is on a 13-game winning streak. Further, they are at the No. 1 rank in the Big 12 conference. Ending the list is Kenny Brooks of Virginia Tech. He led the team into the NCAA final four for the first time. In addition to this, they have also won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this year.
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Every coach listed above or not has done something incredible for their teams. Whether it is to make them visible in the rankings or to get a title back home, every move makes the teams what they are meant to be. It is even harder for these coaches as the women’s division does not get as much attention in basketball. These top coaches surely found the true potential of their players and turned coals into diamonds.
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What do you think about the top coaches of women’s college basketball for the year 2023? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watch This Story- All You Need To Know About Iowa Hawkeyes Coach Lisa Bluder