# Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year

The Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year is a basketball award given to head coaches in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The award is presented to the head coach voted to be the most successful that season by the league's coaches. The award was first given following the 1982–83 season, the second year of the conference's existence, to Matt Furjanic of Robert Morris.
Howie Dickenman of Central Connecticut has won the most awards with four. Bashir Mason of Wagner has won three, and seven other coaches have won the award twice. One former NEC Coach of the Year has been inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach: Jim Phelan (inducted 2001). Due to Phelan's success, in 2003 the NEC men's basketball coach of the year award was named in his honor. Also of note, the only year when the award was shared was in 1993 with Jim Phelan and Kevin Bannon as winners. The program with the most winners, both by total awards and distinct recipients, is former member Robert Morris, with six awards won by four coaches. Among current members, Wagner has the most by both criteria, with three coaches combining to win five awards. The only current NEC members without a winner are Sacred Heart, members since 1999, and Le Moyne, which plays its first NEC season in 2023–24.

## Winners

| Season | Coach | School | Conference Record | Conference Standing | Overall Record | Postseason |
| 1982–83 | Matt Furjanic | Robert Morris | 12–2 | 1st (South Division) | 23–8 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1983–84 | Mark Amatucci | Loyola | 10–6 | T-3rd | 16–12 | |
| 1984–85 | Tom Green | Fairleigh Dickinson | 10–4 | 2nd | 21–10 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1985–86 | Tom Green (2) | Fairleigh Dickinson | 13–3 | 1st | 22–8 | |
| 1986–87 | Dave Magarity | Marist | 15–1 | 1st | 20–10 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1987–88 | Wayne Szoke | Monmouth | 11–5 | T-3rd | 16–13 | |
| 1988–89 | Jarrett Durham | Robert Morris | 12–4 | 1st | 21–9 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1989–90 | Jarrett Durham (2) | Robert Morris | 12–4 | 1st | 22–8 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1990–91 | Rich Zvosec | St. Francis (NY) | 8–8 | T-5th | 15–14 | |
| 1991–92 | Tim Capstraw | Wagner | 9–7 | 4th | 16–12 | |
| 1992–93 | Kevin Bannon | Rider | 14–4 | 1st | 19–11 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1992–93 | Jim Phelan | Mount St. Mary's | 10–8 | T-3rd | 14–16 | |
| 1993–94 | Kevin Bannon (2) | Rider | 14–4 | 1st | 21–9 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1994–95 | Dave Magarity (2) | Marist | 12–6 | T-2nd | 17–11 | |
| 1995–96 | Jim Phelan (2) | Mount St. Mary's | 16–2 | 1st | 21–8 | NIT first round |
| 1996–97 | Ray Haskins | Long Island | 15–3 | 1st | 21–9 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 1997–98 | Ron Ganulin | St. Francis (NY) | 10–6 | T-3rd | 15–12 | |
| 1998–99 | Tom Sullivan | UMBC | 17–3 | 1st | 19–9 | |
| 1999–2000 | Howie Dickenman | Central Connecticut | 15–3 | 1st | 25–6 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2000–01 | Dave Calloway | Monmouth | 15–5 | 2nd | 21–10 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2001–02 | Howie Dickenman (2) | Central Connecticut | 19–1 | 1st | 26–5 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2002–03 | Dereck Whittenburg | Wagner | 14–4 | 1st | 21–11 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2003–04 | Ron Ganulin (2) | St. Francis (NY) | 12–6 | 1st | 15–3 | |
| 2004–05 | Jim Ferry | Long Island | 10–8 | 4th | 14–15 | |
| 2005–06 | Howie Dickenman (3) | Central Connecticut | 13–5 | 2nd | 18–11 | |
| 2006–07 | Howie Dickenman (4) | Central Connecticut | 16–2 | 1st | 22–12 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2007–08 | Mike Rice Jr. | Robert Morris | 15–3 | 1st | 24–11 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2008–09 | Mike Rice Jr. (2) | Robert Morris | 15–3 | 1st | 23–12 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2009–10 | Tom Moore | Quinnipiac | 15–3 | 1st | 23–10 | NIT first round |
| 2010–11 | Jim Ferry (2) | Long Island | 16–2 | 1st | 27–6 | NEC Champions NCAA second round |
| 2011–12 | Glenn Braica | St. Francis Brooklyn | 12–6 | 4th | 15–15 | |
| 2012–13 | Tim O'Shea | Bryant | 12–6 | T-2nd | 19–11 | CBI first round |
| 2013–14 | Andrew Toole | Robert Morris | 14–2 | 1st | 22–14 | NIT second round |
| 2014–15 | Glenn Braica (2) | St. Francis Brooklyn | 15–3 | 1st | 23–12 | NIT first round |
| 2015–16 | Bashir Mason | Wagner | 13–5 | 1st | 23–11 | NIT second round |
| 2016–17 | Jamion Christian | Mount St. Mary's | 14–4 | 1st | 20–16 | NEC Champions NCAA first round |
| 2017–18 | Bashir Mason (2) | Wagner | 14–4 | 1st | 23–10 | NIT first round |
| 2018–19 | Rob Krimmel | Saint Francis (PA) | 12–6 | T-1st | 18–15 | NIT first round |
| 2019–20 | Joe Gallo | Merrimack | 14–4 | 1st | 20–11 | NEC Regular-Season Champions |
| 2020–21 | Bashir Mason (3) | Wagner | 13–5 | 1st | 13–7 | |
| 2021–22 | Jared Grasso | Bryant | 16–2 | 1st | 22–10 | NEC Champions NCAA First Four |
| 2022–23 | Chris Kraus | Stonehill | 10–6 | T-2nd | 14–17 | |
| 2023–24 | Patrick Sellers | Central Connecticut | 13–3 | T-1st | 20–11 | NEC semifinals |
| 2024–25 | Patrick Sellers (2) | Central Connecticut | 14–2 | 1st | TBD | TBD |

## Winners by school

Years in this table reflect calendar years in which basketball seasons end. Since the basketball season spans two calendar years, each school's first year of membership in this table is the calendar year after its actual arrival in the conference.
| School (NEC participation) | Winners | Years |
| Robert Morris (1982–2020) | 6 | 1983, 1989, 1990, 2008, 2009, 2014 |
| Central Connecticut (1997–present) | 6 | 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2024, 2025 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn (1982–2023) | 5 | 1991, 1998, 2004, 2012, 2015 |
| Wagner (1982–present) | 5 | 1992, 2003, 2016, 2018, 2021 |
| LIU (1982–present) | 3 | 1997, 2005, 2011 |
| Mount St. Mary's (1989–2022) | 3 | 1993, 1996, 2017 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson (1982–present) | 2 | 1985, 1986 |
| Marist (1981–1997) | 2 | 1987, 1995 |
| Monmouth (1985–2013) | 2 | 1988, 2001 |
| Rider (1992–1997) | 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Bryant (2008–2022) | 2 | 2013, 2022 |
| Loyola (1981–1989) | 1 | 1984 |
| Merrimack (2020–present) | 1 | 2020 |
| Quinnipiac (1998–2013) | 1 | 2010 |
| Saint Francis (1982–present) | 1 | 2019 |
| Stonehill (2022–present) | 1 | 2023 |
| Le Moyne (2024–present) | 0 | — |
| Sacred Heart (1999–present) | 0 | — |

### Notes

* ↑ Because Merrimack was in the first season of its four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, it was not eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play (either the NCAA Tournament or NIT), and under NEC rules was also ineligible for the conference tournament. The Warriors were eligible to compete in non-NCAA postseason events, but all postseason play was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* ↑ Because Stonehill was in the first season of its four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, it was not eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play (either the NCAA Tournament or NIT), and under NEC rules was also ineligible for the conference tournament.
* ↑ From 1981 to 2019, Long Island University was represented in the Northeast Conference by its Brooklyn campus, known for athletic purposes as "Long Island" through the 2012–13 season and "LIU Brooklyn" from 2013–14 forward. After the 2018–19 season, LIU merged the athletic programs of its Brooklyn and Post campuses into a single program, now competing as the LIU Sharks, that inherited the NCAA Division I and Northeast Conference memberships of the Brooklyn campus.