Jeff Wilson named Coach of the Year

ESU men’s basketball head coach Jeff Wilson was named 2014 DII Coach of the Year. Photo Credit / Tory Stella
ESU men’s basketball head coach Jeff Wilson was named 2014 DII Coach of the Year. Photo Credit / Tory Stella
ESU men’s basketball head coach Jeff Wilson was named 2014 DII Coach of the Year.
Photo Credit / Tory Stella

By Cory Nidoh

Asst. Sports Editor

The East Stroudsburg Warriors Men’s Basketball team wasn’t supposed to make the magical run they did this season.  Yet, they did.

The Warriors brought the student body and surrounding community together and packed Koehler Fieldhouse to create an electric atmosphere all season long with a young team that had just one senior.

After the season, numerous players enjoyed honors and awards due to their success on the court.  Along with the players receiving the accolades, Head Coach Jeff Wilson has also been decorated with awards.

Wilson, who finished his eleventh year as head coach for the Warriors, won the CollegeInsider.com Clarence “Big House” Gaines Division II Coach of the Year, which is given to the top Division II coach in men’s basketball.

“It’s a great honor.  Any time you have success like we had this year and being able to be number two in the country is going to put you on the radar screen and that is a great thing for the program.”

With the second-most wins in school history, Wilson attributes his players and coaching staff for the award. “I view this as a team aspect.  Obviously this doesn’t happen without them.  I don’t score a point so all the players on the floor did what they needed to do to make this to happen.  My coaching staff, Justin Potts and Micah Covert, they do an outstanding job all year long.”

It was his second national coach of the year award, as he won the Basketball Times DII Coach of the Year earlier this winter. Wilson earned these awards with good reason.

With his team being ranked nationally throughout the entire season, the Warriors had a very successful season.

He led his team to a 30-win season, the most in school history, won a second PSAC Championship in the last three years, and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament for a third time, but this season earned a number one seed and was the host university for the Atlantic Region.

Wilson has turned the program into a perennial powerhouse in Division II.

With the success they had this season, there will be a larger spotlight on the national stage for the program that shined all season long.

Email Cory at:

cnidoh@live.esu.edu