By Pete Ross
3/4/2025
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – CollegeInsider.com has announced the finalists for the 2024-25 Hugh Durham award. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball. Among the 25 finalist is RMU head coach Andy Toole.
The Hugh Durham award is named in honor of the former Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville head coach. In eight seasons, at Jacksonville University, Durham became the Dolphins’ all-time winningest Division I coach (106 wins), making him the only coach in NCAA history to be the winningest coach (pct. or wins) at three different Division I schools.
Toole, who was named Horizon League Coach of the Year on March 3, took a team that had 10 wins last season led the Colonials 23 victories heading into the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals. This is the most wins RMU has recorded since 2013 when they had 24 and the .742 winning percentage is the highest since the 2008 squad won .765 of its games. Nationally, RMU is ranked in the CollegeInsider Men’s Mid Major Top 25® at number 22.
Coaches of teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, CUSA, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC, West Coast.
The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, Texas, site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.
RMU (23-8) will host a quarterfinal game in the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship at the UPMC Center on Thursday, March 6, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. The Colonials will face the lowest remaining seed after the first round. Tickets can be purchased here and student tickets are available here.
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