BOSTON — Tennessee State men's basketball head coach Brian "Penny" Collins has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Ben Jobe award, as announced by CollegeInsider.com. The award is presented annually to the top minority head coach in division I college basketball.
In his seventh season with the Tigers, head coach Brian "Penny" Collins has guided his team to new heights, overcoming a roster that featured 15 newcomers to secure the No. 3 seed in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament after being projected to finish fourth. The Tigers enter the tournament having won 11 of their last 13 games. Tennessee State had two players earn All-OVC honors, with Brandon Weston named to the All-OVC First Team and OVC Newcomer Team, while Aaron Nkrumah earned All-OVC Second Team recognition.
The Ben Jobe Award is named in honor of one of the most iconic coaches in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He was also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee, and South Carolina State.
His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was leading No. 15 seed Southern to a 93-78 win over No. 2 Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.
Coach Jobe passed away on March 10, 2017.
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 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
BEN JOBE AWARD FINALISTS
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Alvin Brooks
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Lamar
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Penny Collins
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Tennessee State
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Chris Crutchfield
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Omaha
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Travis DeCuire
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Montana
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Dennis Gates
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Missouri
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Penny Hardaway
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Memphis
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Cornelius Jackson
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Marshall
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Kevin Johnson
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Southern
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James Jones
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Yale
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Mike Jones
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UNCG
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Robert Jones
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Norfolk State
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Chris Markwood
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Maine
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Erik Martin
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South Carolina State
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Ritchie McKay
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Liberty
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Antoine Pettway
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Kennesaw State
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Richie Riley
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South Alabama
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Daniyal Robinson
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Cleveland State
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Kelvin Sampson
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Houston
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Patrick Sellers
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Central Connecticut State
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Takayo Siddle
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UNCW
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Duane Simpkins
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American
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Tony Skinn
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George Mason
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Shaka Smart
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Marquette
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Damon Stoudamire
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Georgia Tech
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Drew Valentine
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Loyola Chicago
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