Utah State MBB Head Coach Danny Sprinkle Named Semifinalist For Naismith Coach Of Year
Mar 15, 2024, 10:48 AM
Head coach Danny Sprinkle of the Montana State Bobcats looks on during a practice session ahead of the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 16, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball head coach Danny Sprinkle was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
The pool of 15 college basketball coaches on the watch list was closed down to 10 but Sprinkle remained on the list.
🚨 ATTENTION 🚨
Introducing the 2024 @wernerladderco Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Semifinalists🔥#WernerLadderNaismith pic.twitter.com/frR41sTsZl
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) March 15, 2024
Other coaches still up for the award include South Florida’s Amir Abdur-Rahim, UNC’s Hubert Davis, UCONN’s Dan Hurley, Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger, Purdue’s Matt Painter, South Carolina’s Lamont Paris, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Indiana State’s Josh Schertz, and Washington State’s Kyle Smith.
RELATED: BYU’s Mark Pope, USU’s Danny Sprinkle Land On Coach Of Year Watch List
In his first season as head coach of the Aggies, Sprinkle has led USU to a 26-5 record, including 14-4 in conference action. The Aggies own the top spot in the Mountain West.
Utah State is currently ranked 18th in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll.
SPECTRUM MAGIC!! https://t.co/Uz74DUhRwa
— Danny Sprinkle (@USUCoachSprink) February 21, 2024
Earlier this week, Sprinkle was named as the Mountain West Coach of the Year.
RELATED: Danny Sprinkle Honored As COY, USU Players Named To All-MWC Teams
Regardless of how the Mountain West tournament plays out, it looks like the Aggies are all but a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
This award is because of Great Players , Great Staff, trainer, strength coach, SID and Athletic Dept. Thank you and congrats Aggie Nation and @usuHURD Without you this isn’t possible #UBUNTU https://t.co/zIgLSexo7r
— Danny Sprinkle (@USUCoachSprink) March 12, 2024
About Danny Sprinkle
The Pullman, Washington native is the 21st head coach in USU men’s basketball history.
Before his coaching career, Sprinkle played at Montana State from 1995-99.
After his playing career, the Helena High School product entered the coaching profession as an assistant at Cal State Northridge. He coached for the Matadors from 2000-06. In 2006, Sprinkle returned to Bozeman and became an assistant at Montana State. He spent a couple of seasons on Brad Huse’s staff before rejoining the Matadors in 2008. In 2013, Sprinkle moved on from Cal State Northridge to become an assistant at Cal State Fullerton.
.@USUCoachSprink from distance. 👀🏀💦#AggiesAllTheWay https://t.co/8In50nHAse
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 16, 2024
He was with the Titans until 2019 when Montana State made him a head coach for the first time in his career. In four seasons with the Bobcats, Sprinkle led Montana State to an 81-43 record, including 49-23 in Big Sky Conference games. He helped the Bobcats reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons.
Sprinkle was named the Big Sky’s Coach of the Year in 2022.
Utah State hired Sprinkle in April 2023.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
