There’s no single way to determine the impact of a coach. Some coaches help their programs exceed expectations and others rebuild rosters after extreme turnover. Some get the most out of talented rosters.
The public doesn’t see the thousands of hours coaches (and their staff) put in behind closed doors to maximize the potential of their players. The criteria for a coach of the year varies. And this season, in which parity has been at the forefront of women’s college basketball, it’s especially hard to parse through the candidates and determine who should be honored.
Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey is ’s Coach of the Year for deftly determining how to manage her talented roster and position the Irish as one of the nation’s top teams all season. With a top-15 offense and defense, they shared the ACC regular season title with NC State. They won 25 games for the third consecutive season and ascended to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for the first time since 2018-19. An ACC tournament championship could see Notre Dame earn a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2019.
Ivey has been Notre Dame’s head coach since 2020, following her career as an Irish point guard from 1996-2001 and an assistant from 2007-2019. This season, she has helped develop a skilled three-pronged backcourt. Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron could each be a solo star on any team. But Ivey’s three guards have meshed and consistently brought out the best in each other to help the Irish excel.
Heading into postseason play, Ivey has shown she knows how to handle the adverse situations the Irish encounter. On Friday, after two consecutive losses, Ivey pushed Notre Dame (25-4) to reflect on their heart, determination and pride during film sessions. On Saturday, in the lead-up to their regular season finale against Louisville, the Irish focused on defense, rebounding and transition opportunities. Figuring the balance of what to stress and when is imperative to any coach’s success, and Ivey seems to understand the makeup of her team as well as any other coach in the country.
Nine coaches received coach of the year votes in ’s annual poll, in which five voters selected their top three choices. But Ivey has Notre Dame well-positioned for a deep postseason run and has made all the Irish’s pieces fit together.
Here’s how the rest of ’s top-three coaches votes played out:
Tied 2. Cori Close, UCLA (27-2)
Although the Bruins came up short of winning the Big Ten title in their first season in the conference, they collected a program-record 22 consecutive wins by double-digits. UCLA also sat atop the AP Top 25 for 12 weeks, setting the conference record for the longest streak at No. 1.
Tied 2. Kim Caldwell, Tennessee (21-8)
The Lady Vols turned to a fast-paced, pressing style in Caldwell’s first season in Knoxville. Although they struggled during the final stretch of the season, Tennessee jumped out to a 15-2 start and are in contention to host during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Its headline win over UConn was a highlight this season.
Tied 3. Kenny Brooks, Kentucky (22-6)
For the first time in his career, Brooks spent the season coaching outside the state of Virginia. He fared quite well, overhauling the Wildcats’ roster and style of play. Kentucky’s 22 regular-season wins are the program’s most since 2019-20.
Tied 3. Mark Campbell, TCU (28-3)
Campbell and the Horned Frogs took home their first Big 12 championship last weekend by beating Baylor. The victory capped a historic regular season which saw TCU go 28-3, finish No. 4 in NET rating, and climb as high as No. 8 in the AP poll. The Horned Frogs had never lost fewer than seven games in a season before. Even if they come up short during the postseason, that’s just one more piece of history they have already achieved.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, UCLA Bruins, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, TCU Horned Frogs, Women’s College Basketball
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