Northwest Missouri’s Ben McCollum makes it a Show Me sweep of Division II coach awards
Missouri schools officially boast the top coaches in NCAA Division II basketball for 2019-20.
For the third time in four seasons, Northwest Missouri State’s Ben McCollum is the NABC Division II men’s coach of the year.
Earlier this week Drury’s Molly Miler was honored as the U.S. Marine Corps/WBCA women’s coach of the year.
The Bearcats finished with a 31-1 record and No. 1 ranking. They had won the MIAA Tournament and were the region’s top seed when the NCAA canceled this month’s postseason tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Northwest closed the season on a 23-game winning streak. The Bearcats were bidding for their third NCAA title under McCollum.
“I would like to accept this award on behalf of my players who deserve the national accolades,” McCollum said in a statement. “I am humbled and thankful to be able to coach the best players in the country. I would also like to thank the NABC for everything they do to support college basketball and for honoring our program with this award.”
Miller led Drury to a 32-0 record, the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships and a No. 1 national ranking. This year marked the program’s second straight undefeated regular season.
Drury also featured the national player of the year in Hailey Diestelkamp, a senior forward from Owensville, Missouri.
Northwest Missouri and Drury also are linked by a family. Bearcats sophomore guard Diego Bernard was named to the MIAA all-defensive team. His sister, Daejah, finished her Drury career this season and was voted the league’s top defensive player.