Sellers Named a Finalist for Trio of National Awards
Central Connecticut men's basketball head coach Patrick Sellers was recognized as a finalist for a trio of national awards it was announced by CollegeInsider.com. Sellers was named among the finalists for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year, Ben Jobe and Hugh Durham awards. In his third season in charge of his alma mater, Sellers guided the Blue Devils to their most successful campaign since 2006-07.
Sellers was named the District 15 Coach of the Year, while Jones was named NABC Division I All-District 15 First Team and Jeanne-Rose was named to the Second Team. The All-District honors are voted on by NABC-member coaches across NCAA Division I.
SKIP PROSSER MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
BEN JOBE AWARD NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR
HUGH DURHAM NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
In his third season at the helm of the Blue Devils, Sellers was recognized as the Jim Phelan Northeast Conference Coach of the Year and the NABC District 15 Coach of the Year after guiding CCSU to a share of the Northeast Conference regular season title and the top seed in the NEC Tournament. The Blue Devils went 20-11 overall, posting its most wins since the 2006-07 season (22-12). With a 13-3 record in conference play, CCSU finished atop the league standings tied with Merrimack. The Blue Devils posted non-conference wins at Fordham and UMass Lowell, while defeating NEC champion, Wagner, twice during the season. CCSU posted three win streaks of three-or-more games during the season. Central was the top seed in the league tournament for the first time since 2006-07.
The Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award honors those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity on and off it as well. Sellers was named one of 20 finalists for the honor. In six years at Wake Forest, Prosser posted a 126-68 record. For his career, he was 291-146 in 14 seasons including six as the head coach at Xavier and one year at Loyola (Md.). The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top minority head coach in division I college basketball. Sellers was named one of 25 finalists for the honor. The Ben Jobe award is named in honor of one the most iconic coaches in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He was also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee, and South Carolina State. The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball. Sellers was included among a list of 20 finalists. The Hugh Durham award is named in honor of the former Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville head coach. In eight seasons, at Jacksonville University, Durham became the Dolphins' all-time winningest Division I coach (106 wins), making him the only coach in NCAA history to be the winningest coach (pct. or wins) at three different Division I schools. Coaches of teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, CUSA, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC, West Coast. The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The 2024 awards will be announced in Phoenix, AZ, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
