March 12, 2008

BOSTON (MA) -- The ten finalists for the 2008 Hugh Durham mid-major coach of the year award were announced on Wednesday.

Eight finalists were regular season champions or co-champions of their respective leagues including Ronnie Arrow (South Alabama), Keno Davis (Drake), Steve Donahue (Cornell), Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin), Bob McKillop (Davidson), Randy Monroe (UMBC), Mike Rice (Robert Morris) and Brad Stevens (Butler).

Mid-season honoree, Randy Bennett (St. Mary’s) and Tony Shaver (William & Mary) who led The Tribe to within one game of its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, round out the list.

The Hugh Durham Award is given annually to the nation’s top mid-major coach, as voted on by the 20-member panel. The winner will be presented with the award at the Final Four in San Antonio.

In 2005 the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Coach of the Year award was renamed in honor of Hugh Durham who retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State, 1972 & Georgia, 1983). He is the only coach to lead both teams to their only Final Four appearance.

The previous winners of the award are Gregg Marshall (Winthrop) in 2007, Pat Flannery, (Bucknell) in 2006 and Bob Thomason (Pacific) in 2005.

2008 HUGH DURHAM AWARD FINALISTS

>>> St. Mary's Randy Bennett earns mid-season honors