ATLANTA - Head coach of the Old Dominion women's basketball team Nikki McCray has been named a United State Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year Finalist as announced by the WBCA on Tuesday morning. McCray, who recently completed her third year at the helm of the program, is the only finalist from a non-Power 5 conference.
The 2020 Conference USA Coach of the Year led the Monarchs to 20+ wins for the second-straight season. Overall, the Monarchs compiled a 24-6 mark and a 14-4 record in league play, finishing second in the C-USA standings.
McCray opened the season by leading the Monarchs to an 89-77 win over Auburn, which marked its first victory over a Power 5 opponent since March 2015. The Monarchs also snapped Rice's 30 conference game win streak at the Chartway Arena on Feb. 13. At one point, ODU put together an 11-game win streak. Her defense finished ranked first in the country for holding teams to three-point field goals and 15th in the country in scoring defense.
In just her third season at ODU, McCray's Monarchs earned votes in the AP Top 25 poll and the WBCA Coaches Poll for the first time since December 2008. On Feb. 18, her team was named NCAA Team of the Week following her performance over Rice, which propelled the team to the top of the league.
Dawn Staley of South Carolina was named United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year after leading her squad to a No. 1 Ranking. McCray coached under Staley for nine years. With the Gamecocks, McCray helped lead South Carolina to its first National Championship in 2017.
McCray's record with the Monarchs is now 53-40 (.569)
FINALISTS
Geno Auriemma | University of Connecticut |
Adia Barnes | University of Arizona |
Joanna Bernabei-McNamee | Boston College |
Brenda Frese | University of Maryland |
Kelly Graves | University of Oregon |
Nikki McCray | Old Dominion University |
Joe McKeown | Northwestern University |
Kim Mulkey | Baylor University |
Dawn Staley * | University of South Carolina * |
Jeff Walz | University of Louisville |
* 2020 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.