HOPEWELL, N.J. (November 1, 2023) – ETSU Head Women's Basketball Coach Brenda Mock Brown was named to the inaugural watch list for the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
In her first season leading the Buccaneers, Coach Mock guided ETSU to new heights as the Blue & Gold won a school-record 25 games en route to posting the largest turnaround in NCAA Division I basketball in 2023-24. ETSU, which posted its first winning season since 2018, improved its win total by 19 games from the 2021-22 season and finished third in the Women's Basketball Invitational.
Furthermore, Coach Mock became the first Coach of the Year winner at ETSU since the late Karen Kemp won in 2008 as a member of the ASUN. Kemp was also ETSU's last winner of the SoCon Coach of the Year award, doing so in the historic 1994-95 season.
To be eligible for the award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major." The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award, and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC. Interim head coaches are eligible, although total games coached will be taken into consideration. In January, the 10-person midseason watch list will be announced. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate.
The full list of coaches on the watch list can be found below.
Chris Gobrecht – Air Force
Bart Brooks – Belmont
Chris Kielsmeier – Cleveland State
Megan Griffith – Columbia
Brenda Mock Brown – ETSU
Karl Smesko – Florida Gulf Coast
Lisa Fortier – Gonzaga
Chelsea Banbury – High Point
Kristen Gillespie – Illinois State
Tomekia Reed – Jackson State
Rick Insell – Middle Tennessee State
Jada Pierce – Niagara
Carla Berube – Princeton
Tammi Reiss – Rhode Island
Aaron Johnston – South Dakota State
Tricia Cullop – Toledo
Tanya Warren – UNI
Lindy La Rocque – UNLV
Jose Fernandez – USF
Alisa Kresge – Vermont
The Buccaneers will lift the lid on the 2023-24 season on November 7 when they travel to take on Kentucky. Tip-off between the Bucs and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.
For more information on Buccaneer women's basketball, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's basketball tab