NASHVILLE — Tennessee State men's basketball head coach Nolan Smith has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Hugh Durham Award, presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in Division I men's basketball.
The honor adds to a growing list of national and conference recognition for Smith in his first season leading the Tigers. Earlier this week, Smith was named Ohio Valley Conference Co-Coach of the Year after guiding Tennessee State to a share of the OVC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament, marking the program's first top seed in 30 years.
Under Smith's leadership, Tennessee State recorded the highest conference win total of the program's NCAA Division I era while producing one of the league's most dynamic offenses. The Tigers averaged 80.5 points per game during the regular season, the second-highest scoring mark of the program's Division I era, surpassing 80 points in 14 games and recording multiple 90-point performances.
Smith also oversaw one of the most decorated seasons for individual honors in program history. Aaron Nkrumah was named OVC Player of the Year, while Travis Harper II earned All-OVC First Team honors and Dante Harris was selected to the All-OVC Second Team and OVC All-Newcomer Team. The trio combined to average 46.8 points per game during the regular season.
Smith became the 12th first-year head coach in OVC history to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining a distinguished group that includes Bob Huggins, Mark Gottfried, Steve Prohm and E.A. Diddle. He also became just the seventh first-year head coach in league history to win Coach of the Year while capturing at least a share of the OVC regular-season championship.
The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball and is named in honor of legendary coach Hugh Durham, who led Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville during his Hall of Fame career.
Smith has also been named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, presented to the nation's top first-time Division I head coach, and the Ben Jobe Award, given annually to the top minority head coach in Division I men's basketball.
With the regular season complete, Smith and the Tigers now turn their focus to postseason play as Tennessee State prepares for the OVC Tournament semifinals Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The Tigers enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal matchup while pursuing the program's first OVC Tournament title since 1994.
