Daemen's Mike MacDonald Honored with Clarence Gaines National Coach of the Year Award

Release courtesy of Max Sacco, Daemen University Sports Information AMHERST, NY – After leading the Daemen University men's basketball team to one of the best seasons in program history, head coach Mike MacDonald was named the recipient of the 2025 Clarence "Big House" Gaines Award, presented annually to the top Division II college basketball coach by CollegeInsider.com.   MacDonald is the first Daemen head coach in any sport to receive any national coach of the year accolades and is also the first men's basketball coach from the East Region to receive the Clarence "Big House" Gaines award as well.   The National Association of Basketball Coaches East District and East Coast Conference Coach of the Year, MacDonald led the Wildcats to their first ECC Championship in program history with an 88-80 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on March 9. This season, the Wildcats won a program record 28 games under MacDonald while their one loss also set a record for the least number of losses as well. Daemen's 28 game winning streak was the longest this season of any Division I, II or III men's basketball team across the nation and set a new program record for consecutive wins as well. The 'Cats 28 wins also marked the seventh consecutive full season under MacDonald that they earned 20-or-more wins, the longest such streak of any Western New York school. Daemen joined C.W. Post (1989-90 & 2008-09), Adelphi (2000-01) and Philadelphia U. (1992-93 & 1993-94) as the only four schools in ECC history to finish the regular season undefeated as Daemen went 25-0. With MacDonald on the sideline, Daemen won by an average of 22.6 points during the regular season and set the record for the largest postseason win during the Division II Era (2015-Pres.) with a 90-57 win over Staten Island in the semifinal round of the ECC Championship on March 8.    The longtime leader of the 'Cats led Daemen to their first No. 1 national ranking in program history this season when Daemen topped the NABC Poll on Feb. 18. Daemen held their top ranking for the final three weeks of the regular season, becoming the first Division I or II school in New York to be ranked No. 1 nationally for three-or-more weeks since Syracuse was ranked No. 1 in three consecutive AP Polls from Feb. 3 - Feb. 17, 2014. Daemen, who was ranked within the top five in at least one national poll dating back to Dec. 17, claimed their third ECC Regular Season Title in program history and earned the right to host the ECC Tournament in Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time in program history as well. MacDonald and the Wildcats also hosted the 2025 NCAA East Regional at home, becoming the first ECC team since former conference member Bridgeport during the 2020 season to be tabbed as NCAA East Region Tournament hosts.   MacDonald helped produce four All-ECC honorees during the 2024-25 campaign with Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) on the first team, Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) tabbed to the second team and Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) a third team selection. For Bill, he also became just the second consensus All-American in program history as he was named to the NABC Division II All-America Team and D2CCA Third Team All-American while also being tabbed to the Bevo Franics Top 25 Watchlist. The 'Cats have also excelled in the classroom under MacDonald this year as Philipkoski, Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) and Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) collected CSC Academic All-District accolades. The 'Cats three selections are tied with the University at Buffalo (Division I/MAC) for the most CSC Academic All-District selections of any Division I or II Western New York school.   The Clarence Gaines Award is named in honor of the legendary Winston Salem State head coach. Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU he coached professional basketball greats Cleo Hill, the first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961, and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. 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. PAST WINNERS 2025: Mike MacDonald, Daemen 2024: Jordan Fee, Gannon 2023: Jim Crutchfield, Nova Southeastern 2022: Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State 2021: Todd Duncan, Lubbock Christian 2020: Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State 2019: Andre Cook, St. Edward's 2018: Grady Brewer, Morehouse College 2017: Darren Vorderbruegge, Hawai'i Pacific 2016: Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial 2015: Chad Walthall, Minnesota State-Moorhead 2014: Jeff Wilson, East Stroudsburg 2013: Tom Billeter, Augustana College  2012: Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State 2011: Steve Kinder, Humboldt State
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