NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State men's basketball head coach
Robert Jones was named a finalist for the 2024-25 Hugh Durham Award, announced by CollegeInsider.com on Tuesday afternoon.
The Hugh Durham Award is named in honor of the former Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville head coach. In eight seasons, at Jacksonville University, Durham became the Dolphins' all-time winningest Division I coach (106 wins), making him the only coach in NCAA history to be the winningest coach (pct. or wins) at three different Division I schools.
Durham coached Florida State and Georgia to a combined 8 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 2 Final Fours. He is one of 17 coaches to take multiple teams to the Final Four.
Jones has led Norfolk State to another remarkable campaign this season, despite losing last year's MEAC Player of the Year (
Jamarii Thomas) and MEAC Sixth Player of the Year (
Allen Betrand). The Spartans remain tied for first in the conference with one regular season game left on the schedule, hunting for the fifth regular season title of Jones' tenure.
Norfolk State leads the MEAC in fastbreak points (16.2), field goal percentage defense (.416), free throw percentage (.758), and scoring defense (.695). The Spartans currently stand No. 187 in the NCAA Net Rankings, bolstered by impressive nonconference wins against High Point (86) and James Madison (156).
Jones has become a frequent name on the Hugh Durham Award finalist list, winning the award in 2022.
Coaches of teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, CUSA, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC, West Coast.
The recipient of the 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.
The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
