April 4, 2024

NEBRASKA’S FRED HOIBERG RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 JIM PHELAN AWARD
Presented annually to the top head coach in division I college basketball.

PHOENIX, AZ -- Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg is the recipient of the 2023-24 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award have been announced.  The award is presented annually to the top head coach in division I college basketball.

Hoiberg led the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014. Nebraska finished with 23 victories - the program’s most since 1991.

Nebraska was top-40 nationally in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, holding opponents to a top-20 defensive field goal percentage. The Cornhuskers finished third in the Big 10, posting a winning record for only the third time since they joined the league for the 2011-12 season.

"Fred leads in a quiet, unassuming way, but make no mistake, he is a tremendous coach with a competitive fire burning inside," said Rich Boyages, Executive member of CollegeInsider.com and Former Big Ten VP of Men's Basketball. "He's seen and done it all, college and pro. He's brought innovative spacing and ball movement to the Big Ten and combined it this season with a feisty defense. He's a player's coach and a class act"

The Jim Phelan Award is named in honor of a legendary bow-tied coach who spent his entire head coaching career at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Phelan graduated from La Salle University in 1951 and played one season in the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors. After a brief professional career, Phelan went to Mount St. Mary’s as an assistant in 1953. One year later he began his historical career as a head coach.

He led the Mountaineers to 16 Division II NCAA tournaments. Five times they advanced to the Final Four and he led them to the DII National Championship in 1962.

When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.

In 2008 he was inducted into National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Phelan passed away on June 15, 2021 at the age of 92 at his home in Emmitsburg, MD.

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.

The 2024 award will be announced in Phoenix, AZ, site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

2024 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS