Another day, more recognition for first-year Northwestern State head men’s basketball coach Corey Gipson.
A day after being named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, Gipson was honored as a finalist for two more coaching honors – the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award and the Joe B. Hall Coach of the Year Award.
The Hugh Durham Award, named after the coach who set program records for winning percentage at Florida State (.705) and for career wins at Georgia (297), is given to the top coach among Division I mid-major conferences. Those conferences are the America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast conferences.
Gipson is one of 20 finalists for the Durham Award
The Joe B. Hall Award, named in honor of the national championship-winning Kentucky coach, is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I. Gipson is one of 10 finalists for the award.
In his first season at Northwestern State, Gipson has led the Demons to a 12- win improvement and the No. 2 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament. NSU begins play in the event Tuesday night at 8 against either No. 7 seed New Orleans or No. 3 seed Southeastern.
Gipson became the first head coach to lead the Demons to a 20-win season in his first year as a head coach in NSU’s Division I era. The Demons’ 64-63 win at then-No. 15 TCU on Nov. 14 was NSU’s first victory against an AP Top 25 since the March 17, 2006, win against Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern State’s 21 wins are its most in a season since 2012-13 while the Demons’ nine-game win streak from Jan. 19-Feb. 16 was the longest since a 10-game run in 2012-13. The Demons’ 13 Southland Conference wins are its most since the 2014-15 season.
The Demons had the 2022-23 Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, DeMarcus Sharp, and set a school record for made 3-pointers with 265. The Demons also led the Southland Conference in scoring defense for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
2022-23 Hugh Durham Award Finalists
Amir Abdur-Rahim, Kennesaw State
Kenneth Blakeney, Howard
Jerrod Calhoun, Youngstown State
Speedy Claxton, Hofstra
Darian DeVries, Drake
Pat Duquette, UMass Lowell
Corey Gipson, Northwestern State
Jason Hooten, Sam Houston
Donte’ Jackson, Grambling
James Jones, Yale
Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo
Pat Kelsey, Charleston
Jay Ladner, Southern Miss
Mark Madsen, Utah Valley
Mike Magpayo, UC Riverside
Bob Marlin, Louisiana
Paul Mills, Oral Roberts
Mike Morrell, UNC Asheville
Rick Pitino, Iona
Bob Richey, Furman
2022-23 Joe B. Hall Award Finalists
Tobin Anderson, Fairleigh Dickinson
Chris Caputo, George Washington
Eric Duft, Weber State
Corey Gipson, Northwestern State
Michael Lewis, Ball State
Chris Markwood, Maine
Daniyal Robinson, Cleveland State
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Jerome Tang, Kansas State
Keith Urgo, Fordham
