ATLANTA (March 24, 2025) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today the finalists for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award.
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley looks to win her fifth Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award in the last six seasons. She remains the only individual to have claimed Naismith Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors. She was Player of the Year at Virginia in 1991 and 1992.
The other finalists are Mark Campbell from TCU, UCLA’s Cori Close and Southern California’s Lindsay Gottlieb. All three are looking to win their first award and the first for their schools. The only Naismith Award winners from those schools previously were from USC when Cheryl Miller (1984-86) and Lisa Leslie (1994) were named Player of the Year.
Three of the men’s finalists would be the first coach or player to win the award from their school. This trio includes Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, St. John’s Rick Pitino and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson. Duke’s Jon Scheyer would be the second Duke coach to earn the award after Mike Krzyzewski won in 1989, 1992 and 1999.
“As we near the electrifying finale of this exceptional college basketball season, we extend our heartfelt appreciation for the steadfast dedication and tireless effort these coaches have shown in guiding their teams toward the summit of a national title,” said Eric Oberman, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “The race for the prestigious Werner Ladder Naismith Award, honoring the top Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, has been utterly captivating, highlighting the outstanding success of these leaders and the programs they’ve elevated.”
About the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Finalists
Mark Campbell, TCU
- Became the first TCU head basketball coach named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
- He is the first coach in the history of the Big 12 to garner Conference Coach of the Year honors within two seasons of joining the league.
- Led team to its first NCAA Tournament in 15 seasons and first-ever Sweet 16 appearance as they are 33-3 and won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles.
- TCU became just the second team in Big 12 Conference history to win a regular season championship within two seasons of finishing in last place.
- Their No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament is the best in school history (previous best was a No. 6 seed in 2004).
Cori Close, UCLA
- Led the Bruins to a 32-2 record and a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance, setting a program record for wins and achieving the first 30-win season in school history.
- Team won the Big 10 Tournament for the program’s first conference title since 2006.
- She led her team to 23 consecutive wins, 22 of which came by double-digits.
- UCLA was ranked No. 1 for 12 consecutive weeks, setting a Big Ten record after nine weeks atop the rankings.
- The team is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
- The Bruins are the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Lindsay Gottlieb, Southern California
- She was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, marking the program’s first honor since 1993, when Marianne Stanley won the Pac-10 award.
- Led team to the Big 10 regular season title in their first year in the conference.
- The team is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is the first time since 1982-84 that USC has earned consecutive NCAA No. 1 seeds.
- At 29-3, led USC to its best record through 31 games since 1982-83 when the Women of Troy finished 31-2.
- USC is making a third consecutive NCAA appearance for the first time since a five-year run from 1991-95.
- Finalist for the award last season.
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
- Led team to a 32-3 record, the fourth consecutive year of 30 or more wins (139-6 in that span).
- The Gamecocks earned a regional No. 1 seed for the fifth consecutive season and are in the Sweet 16.
- She led her team to a sweep of the SEC regular season and tournament championships for the third consecutive season.
- Guided South Carolina to its fourth SEC regular season and fifth conference tournament title in the last six seasons.
- Finished the season ranked No. 2.
About the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Finalists
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
- Named the 2024-25 SEC Coach of the Year
- Led team to a 30-5 record, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the SEC regular season title.
- Became the all-time winningest coach in Auburn history with a win at Texas on Jan. 7, 2025.
- This year is Pearl’s sixth NCAA Tournament appearance at Auburn, the most by a coach in program history.
- Auburn tied a school record set during the 2021-22 campaign with 15 SEC victories this season.
Rick Pitino, St. John’s
- The 2025 BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year.
- Led team to a 31-5 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the school’s first appearance in the tournament since 2019.
- The 31 wins tied a program record for wins in a season set in 1984-85 and 1985-86.
- He is the first coach in NCAA history to lead six Division I programs into the NCAA Tournament, having previously guided Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona to the Big Dance.
- Led St. John’s to its first BIG EAST Tournament title in 25 seasons.
- St. John’s captured its first outright BIG EAST regular season title in 40 years, tallying an 18-2 record in league competition. The Johnnies 18 conference wins tied the 2023-24 Connecticut team for the highest league win total in BIG EAST history.
- In the regular season, the Red Storm matched a program record with 27 wins and suffered just four losses by a combined seven points.
Kelvin Sampson, Houston
- Named the Big 12’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, which is also in the program’s first two years in the conference.
- Led team to a 32-4 record, a conference regular season and Big 12 Tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- For the first time in program history, Houston has posted four consecutive 30+ win seasons, the nation’s longest streak.
- Led the Cougars to their second Big 12 regular season title in two years, becoming the first program in over 100 years to join a major conference and win back-to-back regular season titles.
- Houston won a Big 12-record 19 games and joined Duke as the first major conference team to win 19 league games in a single season.
- He is a finalist for this award for the third consecutive year.
Jon Scheyer, Duke
- Led Duke to a 33-3 record and entered the NCAA Tournament with at least 31 wins for the first time since the 1998-99 season and for just the third time in program history (1998-99, 1985-86).
- Led team to the ACC regular season and conference Tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- He became the first coach in conference history to win two ACC Tournament championships in his first three seasons as a head coach.
- He has amassed 87 victories to exceed the standard set by Bill Guthridge (80, North Carolina, 1997-2000) for the most wins by an ACC coach in their first three seasons.
“Werner Ladder wants to congratulate these amazing coaches and their teams,” said Stacy Gardella, Head of Global Marketing Technology & Operations at ProDriven Brands. “We’re rooting for them to keep winning and appreciate the incredible leadership they show, which inspires their players, fans and everyone who loves college basketball.”
The 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award will be presented on Wednesday, April 2, at a press conference at the Embarc Collective in Tampa during the Women’s Final Four. The 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year announcement will occur on Sunday, April 6, at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in San Antonio. The Tobin Center in San Antonio will host the event. SiriusXM will simulcast the live announcement on SiriusXM College Sports Radio (Channel 84).
This year, fans will have a say in determining the winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s. Starting March 25, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on X (@naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for one of these four finalists for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1, and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
The four finalists for each category were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, composed 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 2024-25 college basketball season. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Forensic Accounting team of iDiscovery Solutions, Inc., a consultative experts firm.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Mallory Hadaway, Atlanta Tipoff Club
mallory.hadaway@naismithtrophy.com
(256) 682-0599
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 Jersey Mike’s 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 AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s, MOLECULE, Sharpie and Werner Ladder. For more information, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.
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