BRONX, N.Y. – Just hours after winning Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors, Head Coach Keith Urgo has been named as a finalist for a pair of national accolades.
The first-year Fordham head man was one of 20 individuals to be named a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top coach in all of Division I. Urgo is joined on this list by some of the most recognizable names in the game, including Matt Painter, Kelvin Sampson and Shaka Smart.
Urgo also secured one of the 10 finalist positions for the Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the top first-year coach in the country.
In his second year with the Fordham program, first as head coach, Urgo has led one of the nation’s most impressive turnarounds. After helping guide the Rams to a 14-win improvement as the team’s associate head coach in 2021-22, Urgo assumed head coaching duties last spring and has promptly seen his squad register the program’s best season in decades.
The Rams enter the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a record of 24-7, good enough for the third-highest single-season win total in program history and the most since the 1990-91 team went 25-8. The Rams’ 12 Atlantic 10 wins are the most for a Fordham team in any conference and the team’s tie for second place in the final regular season standings marked its best since joining the league in 1995.
Three of Urgo’s players also garnered recognition from the conference on Tuesday. Darius Quisenberry was named to the All-Conference Second Team, Khalid Moore earned a spot on the All-Conference Team and Kyle Rose captured a place on the All-Defensive Team.
Both the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and the Joe B. Hall Award are presented by CollegeInsider.com.
The recipient of both awards will be presented at the Final Four in Houston.
2022-23 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS
Amir Abdur-Rahim- Kennesaw State
Kenny Blakeney- Howard
Brad Brownell- Clemson
Jeff Capel- Pittsburgh
Chris Collins- Northwestern
Mick Cronin- UCLA
Darian DeVries- Drake
Pat Kelsey- Charleston
Jim Larranaga- Miami
Dusty May- Florida Atlantic
Tim Miles- San Jose State
Paul Mills- Oral Roberts
Nate Oats- Alabama
Matt Painter- Purdue
Kelvin Sampson- Houston
Shaka Smart- Marquette
Jerry Stackhouse- Vanderbilt
Jerome Tang- Kansas State
Rodney Terry- Texas
Keith Urgo– Fordham
2022-23 JOE B. HALL AWARD FINALISTS
Tobin Anderson- Fairleigh Dickinson
Chris Caputo- George Washington
Eric Duft- Weber State
Corey Gipson- Northwestern State
Michael Lewis- Ball State
Chris Markwood- Maine
Daniyal Robinson- Cleveland State
Jon Scheyer- Duke
Jerome Tang- Kansas State
Keith Urgo– Fordham
COURTESY FORDHAM ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
