COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M women’s basketball head coach Gary Blair was named to the late season watch list for the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.
Blair has led the Aggies to the No. 5 ranking in the latest Associated Press Top-25 Poll. A&M leads the country in ranked wins (8) and is tied for the most total victories (19). Despite the shortened regular season, the Aggies are one win away from registering their 16th consecutive 20-win season under Blair.
The Dallas native is fourth among active coaches in wins with 832, and he makes A&M one of only six schools in the country to have a national championship winning coach leading its program.
The award is in its 35th season with South Carolina’s Dawn Staley winning last year. Blair has been a finalist for the award twice in his career (2003, 2007). He is joined by 15 of the best coaches in the NCAA, including three from the Southeastern Conference.
Late Season Watch List Candidates
First Name
Last Name
School
Conference
Geno
Auriemma
UConn
AAC
Adia
Barnes
Arizona
Pac-12
Kim
Barnes Arico
Michigan
Big Ten
Gary
Blair
Texas A&M
SEC
Mike
Carey
WVU
Big 12
Cori
Close
UCLA
Pac-12
Jose
Fernandez
USF
AAC
Brenda
Frese
Maryland
Big Ten
Kellie
Harper
Tennessee
SEC
Aaron
Johnston
South Dakota State
Summit
Kevin
McGuff
Ohio State
Big Ten
Wes
Moore
North Carolina State
ACC
Dawn
Staley
South Carolina
SEC
Tara
VanDerveer
Stanford
Pac-12
Jeff
Walz
Louisville
ACC