April 4, 2024

GRACE’S SCOTT MOORE RECIPIENT OF 2024 DON MEYER AWARD
Presented annually to the top head coach in NAIA college basketball.

PHOENIX, AZ -- Grace College’s Scott Moore is the recipient of 2024 Don Meyer National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in NAIA college basketball.

Moore, who is in his fifth season at Grace, posted the best record in program history finishing 34-2. He also set program records for the best start (24-0) and longest winning streak (24) to begin the campaign. The outstanding regular season earned the Lancers the No. 1 overall seed in the NAIA tournament overall No. 1 seed for the first time in school history. The magical season culminated with a trip to the NAIA Fab Four.

The Lancers were ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll for most of the season, another first in Grace's NAIA Div. I era.

The list of accolades was highlighted by Elijah Malone being named the NABC-NAIA National Player of the Year, while Jakob Gibbs was named a Third Team All-American and the Crossroads League Defensive Player of the Year.

His team won on the court and in the classroom. Six players received Scholar-Athlete honors, including Alex Darnell, Cade Gibbs, Brycen Graber, Carter Stoltzfus, Jakob Gibbs and Marcus Davidson.

Since arriving in 2019, Moore quickly transformed the Lancers into a top-five program in the NAIA.

"It was a season of firsts for Scott Moore," said Joe Dwyer, President of CollegeInsider.com. "Most wins, highest-ever ranking, the first-ever NAIA player of the year, and a trip to the NAIA Fab Four. Coach Moore had the difficult task of following legendary Grace College head coach Jim Kessler and the program hasn’t missed a beat in his five seasons in Winona Lake, IN."

The Don Meyer Award is named in honor of the sport's winningest coaches.

In 38 seasons at Hamline, Lipscomb and Northern State, Don Meyer compiled an astounding 923-324 record. He led Lipscomb to the NAIA national championship in 1986 and coached the two highest-scoring players in the history of college basketball, John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson.

His 1989-90 team at Lipscomb won a record 41 games and was the highest scoring team in college basketball history.

In 2010, he received the John Bunn Award at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Meyer retired from coaching in February 2010. Coach Meyer lost his long battle with cancer on May 18, 2014, at the age of 69.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.