LUBBOCK, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) — The following is a press release from Texas Tech Athletics:

Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams has been named as a finalist for the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Award. The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the finalists on Monday with Adams being joined by Ed Cooley (Providence College), Greg Gard (Wisconsin) and Tommy Lloyd (Arizona). All four are potential first-time winners.

Adams has the Red Raiders back in the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third time in the past four NCAA Tournaments and with a 27-9 record after knocking off Notre Dame on Sunday night. Tech plays Duke on Thursday night in San Francisco in a West Region semifinal. On the other side, Gonzaga and Arkansas meet up with the two winners to advance to the Elite 8.

Adams, Cooley, Gard, and Lloyd all seek to become the first men’s coach in their respective programs’ histories to earn the honor. Lloyd also stands to become only the third all-time first-year coach to receive the award.

About the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year finalists:

Mark Adams, Texas Tech

  • In his first season at the helm, after five years as an assistant, he has led his team to a current 27-9 overall record and the Raiders’ third Sweet 16 in four years
  • Was named the AP Big 12 Coach of the Year
  • Guided Tech to a No. 12 national ranking; Tech is also the top-ranked defensive team in the nation
  • The team went 18-0 at home this season and has seven wins over ranked opponents

Ed Cooley, Providence

  • Team is currently 27-5
  • Led the Friars to their first Sweet 16 since 1997 and the sixth in the history of the program
  • The team’s 27 wins are the most by a Friar team since 1973-74
  • Became just the seventh coach in league history, and first since 2012, to earn BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors without having a player earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades

Greg Gard, Wisconsin

  • Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second time in the last three seasons
  • Only the second coach in UW history to win the award, joining four-time winner Bo Ryan
  • Picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll, he led them to a 24-6 regular season record (15-5 in the conference), the fifth-highest regular-season win total in program history
  • Claimed Big Ten regular season championship

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

  • One of nine head coaches in NCAA Division I history to win 30 games in his first season as a head coach, guiding Arizona to a 31-3 mark
  • Won the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament championships
  • Named Pac-12 Coach of the Year
  • Began the season unranked in the national polls and was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 but finished the season No. 2 in the final AP poll and won the Pac-12 regular season title by three games

“This is the most exciting time of year for our sport, and the battle for Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year will be even more competitive as the tournaments progress,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “We are excited to watch these coaches push their teams toward a championship.”

Fans will be able to support their favorite finalist by visiting naismithtrophy.com/vote between Tuesday, March 22-Tuesday, March 29, to cast their ballots; the fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. Fans may also vote by visiting the @MarchMadness and @MarchMadnessWBB Twitter pages between March 22-29 to vote for their favorite men’s and women’s coach. The 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Women’s Coach of the Year will be awarded Wednesday, March 30, during the Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis. The men’s ceremony to award the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s Coach of the Year will take place Sunday, April 3, at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in New Orleans.

“Each of the eight finalists has coached his or her team to a phenomenal season and are deserving of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year title,” said Stacy Gardella, head of Global Marketing Technology & Operations at WernerCo. “We wish them all the best of luck in their tournaments and are excited to watch these coaches guide their teams.”

The four finalists for each category were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding coaching performances during the 2021-22 college basketball season. The vote was tabulated and certified by Aprio, a premier, CPA-led business advisory firm.
For more information, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983.  Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.

(Press release from Texas Tech Athletics)