Geno Auriemma is one of four finalists for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year award, it was announced today by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He is joined by Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer and Nebraska’s Connie Yori.
The finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy based on player performances this season. The winner will be announced early next month.
Here is the brief look at the finalists that was provided in the release:
Geno Auriemma: Auriemma, who has won sixth Naismith Awards, has led the Huskies to their sixth perfect regular season amidst an NCAA-record 72-game winning streak. He shared Big East Coach of the Year honors for the third straight year and won the award for the ninth time overall. UConn earned its 18th outright regular-season championship in 2009-10, went undefeated in league play for the eighth time in program history and became the 10th league team to accomplish the feat. In 25 seasons at UConn he has a 729-122 record and his squad has been ranked number one by the Associated Press for 41 straight weeks, a poll record.
Pat Summitt: The Volunteers won their 15th SEC regular season title and 14th SEC Tournament title this year, pushing Summitt’s career record to 1,035-195 (.841 overall). The five-time Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year has led UT to all 29 NCAA Tournaments, the only school to achieve that feat, and earned a number one seed for the 20th time.
Tara VanDerveer: Stanford went 18-0 to win their 10th consecutive Pac-10 regular-season title, and followed that up by winning the conference tournament. The Cardinal (31-1) is making its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament and 24th overall. The top seed in the Sacramento region, Stanford seeks its third consecutive Final Four appearance.
Connie Yori: The 2010 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year has led Nebraska (30-1, 16-0 Big 12) to the best season in school history. The Huskers tied the Big 12 record with a 30-game winning streak, shattering the school record (23) in the process. The Huskers are also the nation’s most improved team, winning 15 more games than the previous season. Nebraska became the first Big 12 Conference team to finish a regular season with an unbeaten record (29-0), and just the second Big 12 team to go 16-0 through league play. Yori’s record at Nebraska (eight seasons) is 151-98 and her overall career mark is 346-238 in 20 seasons.
Rich
