Bennett Named D-III News National Coach of the Year
UW-Stevens
Point men�s basketball coach Jack Bennett has been named the Molton/DIII
News NCAA Division III Coach of the Year after leading the Pointers to their
first national championship and a school record for victories in a season.
Bennett�s
squad finished 29-5 overall and defeated Williams (Mass.) 84-82 in the title
game on March 20 in Salem, Va. The Pointers finished the season with nine
straight postseason victories after losing their regular season finale to
UW-Superior that cost the team its fifth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference regular season title.
UW-Stevens
Point regrouped to beat UW-Superior in the conference quarterfinals and won
its first conference tournament since 2000 to secure the league�s automatic
berth to the Division III tournament.
Along the
way, the Pointers won five games away from home, including a win at last
year�s runner-up, Gustavus Adolphus, and two victories in Tacoma, Wash. the
weekend before winning the title game in Salem, Va. UW-Stevens Point
dethroned the defending national champion, Williams, in the finals.
Bennett is
now 171-53 in eight seasons with the Pointers and has led the team to four
NCAA tournament appearances and four WIAC championships.
The WIAC
also landed the national Player of the Year as UW-River Falls� Rich Melzer
earned the honor after leading the Falcons to the conference title by
ranking fourth in the country with a league-high 26.9 points per game.
Molten USA is the official basketball of the Olympic Games and official
sponsor of the DIII News Coach of the Year award. DIII News
covers Division III men�s basketball and celebrated its 11th year of
publishing this past season. |
