NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State men's basketball assistant coach Leonard Fairley has been named to the 2026 Silver Waves Media Top/Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches list, marking the second consecutive year he has earned recognition from the national outlet.
Fairley was one of 126 assistant coaches recognized nationwide and was the lone representative from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Over the last four years, more than 40 coaches from Silver Waves Media's lists have gone on to become head coaches.
Now in his ninth season with the Spartan program, Fairley began as a student manager during his undergraduate years before moving into a coaching role on head coach Robert Jones' staff.
During his tenure on the coaching staff, Norfolk State has compiled a 164-94 overall record and a 85-29 mark in MEAC play, capturing five regular-season championships and three MEAC Tournament titles.
Under Fairley's mentorship, 27 Spartans have earned MEAC postseason honors, including three MEAC Players of the Year, two MEAC Newcomers of the Year and two MEAC Sixth Players of the Year.
Norfolk State opens the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2 when they host Regent at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Va.
2026 Silver Waves Media Top/Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches
| Coach |
School |
| Adrian Wojnarowski |
St. Bonaventure |
| Ali Ton |
UC Irvine |
| Ander Galfsky |
Chattanooga |
| Anthony Santos |
Long Beach State |
| Barrett Peery |
Utah State |
| Ben Walker |
Milwaukee |
| Bobby Jordan |
Temple |
| Bobby Naubert |
Oakland |
| Brandon Cole |
Pacific |
| Brandon Cyrus |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Brandon Laird |
Idaho |
| Brendan Mullins |
Murray State |
| Brendyn Taylor |
Loyola Chicago |
| Brett Putz |
Saint Louis |
| Brian Eskilden |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Brian Michaelson |
Gonzaga |
| Bryce Douglas |
Gonzaga |
| Byron Jones |
Indiana State |
| Cameron Prather |
Alabama A&M |
| Charles Chigeru |
Niagara |
| Chase Goldstein |
Duquesne |
| Chris Buchanan |
Niagara |
| Chris Cobb |
Saint Mary's |
| CJ Killin |
CSUN |
| Courntey Eldridge |
Elon |
| Craig Neal |
Nevada |
| Craig Ponder |
UNCW |
| Cullen Neal |
Murray State |
| Dalip Bhatia |
Marist |
| Damari Milstead |
LMU |
| Dan Sheets |
Saint Mary's |
| Dave Velasquez |
San Diego State |
| David Gale |
San Diego |
| Derek Glasser |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Drew Kelly |
UT Martin |
| Dwayne Osborne |
Youngstown State |
| Frankie Ferrari |
San Francisco |
| George Galanopoulos |
Washington State |
| Gibson Johnson |
Hawai'i |
| Graham Bousley |
Pepperdine |
| Hamlet Tibbs |
Buffalo |
| Hunter Jenkins |
UTEP |
| Jackie Manuel |
American |
| Jake Williams |
Tarleton State |
| Jamere Dismukes |
LIU |
| James Kane |
Dayton |
| Jarod Lucas |
Nevada |
| Jarren Dyson |
Army |
| Jason Ludwig |
Santa Clara |
| Jay Duncan |
San Francisco |
| Jaydee Luster |
San Diego State |
| Jeremy Pope |
San Diego |
| Jermaine Johnson |
Louisiana-Monroe |
| Jesse Bopp |
UAB |
| Joe White |
South Dakota |
| Johnathan Bell |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Jon Fleming |
Kent State |
| Jonathan Holmes |
College of Charleston |
| Jonathan Mitchell |
App State |
| Josh Calbert |
San Diego |
| Julius Smith |
UC Irvine |
| Justin Hawkins |
UNLV |
| Kian Boroujerdi |
Canisius |
| Kory Alford |
Oral Roberts |
| Kris Saulny |
Iona |
| Kyle Vogt |
UC Davis |
| Kyron Cartwright |
Hampton |
| Leonard Fairley |
Norfolk State |
| Lo Leath |
Nevada |
| Manny Adako |
Lehigh |
| Manny Dosanjh |
Ball State |
| Martynas Rubikas |
High Point |
| Matt Colpoys |
George Washington |
| Matt Figger |
UMass |
| Matt Janning |
Northeastern |
| Matt Kingsley |
Yale |
| Matt Lottich |
Grand Canyon |
| Michael Wilder |
New Mexico |
| Mike DePaoli |
Hofstra |
| Mike Kosich |
UC Davis |
| Mike Plank |
Oregon State |
| Mike Roberts |
New Mexico |
| Mike Scott |
Alabama State |
| Mike Sotsky |
Harvard |
| Nat Graham |
Cornell |
| Nick Booker |
UC Irvine |
| Nick Matson |
East Carolina |
| Nick Whitmore |
Wyoming |
| Patrick Scully |
UC Irvine |
| Patrick Wallace |
Iona |
| Pedro Garcia Rosado |
Washington State |
| Peter Funk |
Evansville |
| Preston Laird |
New Mexico State |
| R-Jay Barsh |
Gonzaga |
| Ralph Davis |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Ray Barefield |
Fresno State |
| Reuben Williams |
UC Riverside |
| Ricardo Rush |
Chattanooga |
| Ricky Muench |
LMU |
| Riley Conroy |
South Alabama |
| Rob Jones |
Saint Mary's |
| Rob Williams |
UAB |
| Ryan Badrtalei |
San Diego State |
| Ryan Lundgren |
Eastern Washington |
| Ryan Oliver |
Pepperdine |
| Ryan Schneider |
Vermont |
| Sam Stapleton |
New Mexico |
| Scott Garson |
UNLV |
| Selle Hann |
UT Martin |
| Shaun Morris |
Siena |
| Simon McCormack |
Northern Kentucky |
| Skye Ettin |
UC San Diego |
| Spenser Bland |
Denver |
| Stephen Gentry |
Gonzaga |
| Steve Curran |
George Mason |
| Steve Shpreyregin |
Seattle U |
| Terrance Rencher |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Terry Johnson |
Evansville |
| Tim Shelton |
Colorado State |
| Tom Tankelewicz |
New Mexico |
| Will Reigel |
Davidson |
| Woody Taylor |
Mercer |
| Xavier Silas |
VMI |
| Yaphett King |
Tulsa |
| Zach Norvell Jr. |
Gonzaga |
| Zak Boisvert |
Saint Louis |
