WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Atlanta Tipoff Club has announced that Purdue head coach Matt Painter is one of 11 semifinalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year award, the organization announced today.
The four finalists for the award will be announced March 20. From there, fans will be able to support their coach by visiting naismithtrophy.com/vote between March 22 and April 3, to cast their ballot. The award will be presented on April 7, in Minneapolis.
Painter is joined on the list by Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Chris Beard (Texas Tech), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Nate Oats (Buffalo), Matt Painter (Purdue), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Mike Young (Wofford), Tony Bennett (Virginia), John Calipari (Kentucky) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).
It marks the second straight year that Painter has been named to the late-season candidate list. He led Purdue to its league-best 24th Big Ten Championship and second in the last three years with a 16-4 Big Ten record and a 23-8 overall mark.
The Boilermakers entered the year with just one returning starter and opened the season with a 6-5 record following a loss to Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic. Since that loss, the Boilermakers have won 17 of their last 20 games, including victories over four ranked teams during that span. Purdue is second nationally in combined quadrant-1 and 2 victories with 16.
Painter owns a 318-157 record in 14 years at Purdue and has moved into the all-time Big Ten top 10 wins’ list. His 10 NCAA Tournament appearances at Purdue are the sixth most in league history entering this season.
Purdue has been the Big Ten’s best program over the last three years, posting a 45-11 league mark during that span. Purdue’s 45 wins over the last three years are the third most in Big Ten history in a three-year span.
Purdue earned the No. 2 seed in this week’s Big Ten Tournament and will face either 10th-seeded Penn State or 7th-seeded Minnesota in Friday’s quarterfinals, tipping at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, in Chicago.