THE CLARENCE "BIG HOUSE" GAINES AWARD

2020 Clarence Gaines Award

March 26, 2020

THE 2020 AWARD

BOSTON, MA -- Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum is the recipient of the 2019-20 Clarence Gaines Award, presented annually to the top Division II college basketball coach and named in honor of the legendary former Winston Salem State head coach.

McCollum guided the Bearcats to a 31-1 record, the MIAA regular season championship and the MIAA postseason tournament championship. The Bearcats led the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 45.7% (359-of-785) and were ranked No. 1 in the final NABC and D2CCA national polls.
 
Last season McCollum, who has won seven consecutive MIAA regular season titles, became the first non-division I coach to win the prestigious Coach John McLendon award, which is presented annually the best coach in all levels of college basketball.

One of the true legends of all-time, Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU he coached professional basketball greats Cleo Hill (first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961) and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Clarence Gaines Award, which is presented annually to the top Division II basketball coach, is named in honor of the former Winston Salem State head coach.
 
One of the true legends of all-time, Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
 
During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU he coached professional basketball greats Cleo Hill (first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961) and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. 
 
The Clarence Gaines award voting panel is made up of current division I coaches, athletic administrators, and senior College Insider staff members.  The recipient of the 2024-25 award will be announced in April, in San Antonio, TX site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.

The Clarence Gaines award is presented annually to the top division II head coach, as voted on by the award committee. 
 
The 10-member voting committee consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
 
The award is presented annually at the site of the men's Division I NCAA basketball championship. 

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