Quote:After leading the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team to a 12-2 start, head coach Mark Montgomery has been named recipient of the Hugh Durham Award mid-season honors.

NIU started the season 7-0, the best start to a season since 1994-95 and the third-best unbeaten start in school history; the Huskies’ 11 non-conference wins are the most for the program since the 1971-72 season. On Jan. 2 against Judson, Montgomery collected his 50th career victory, becoming the ninth head coach in school history to reach the 50-win plateau.

The Huskies, who were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll, opened conference play with an 80-69 win over Ohio on Wednesday night (Jan. 6); the win was NIU’s 12th-straight at home, setting a new school record.

The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. The award is named in honor of Hugh Durham who had retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). He is the only coach among that group to have led both schools to their lone Final Four appearance.

Montgomery and the Huskies return to action on Saturday, Jan. 9, as they host Eastern Michigan. The contest is the second game of a doubleheader with the NIU women’s basketball team hosting Eastern Michigan at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at approximately 7:30 p.m.

http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-baskb...16aaa.html

Great for the program and for Monty!

Go Huskies!

So what's the track record on coaches who get this and are still at the same school the very next year?..or 2 years later?

(01-08-2016 05:09 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  So what's the track record on coaches who get this and are still at the same school the very next year?..or 2 years later?

Since 2004, of the 9 coaches still active 5 are still with the program and 4 are not. Of those 4, none are currently at 'major' schools.

(01-08-2016 05:09 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  So what's the track record on coaches who get this and are still at the same school the very next year?..or 2 years later?

Not time to worry about that yet HJ. I HOPE we are worrying about that in 2-3 years.

(01-08-2016 05:17 PM)Michael James Wrote:  

(01-08-2016 05:09 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  So what's the track record on coaches who get this and are still at the same school the very next year?..or 2 years later?

Since 2004, of the 9 coaches still active 5 are still with the program and 4 are not. Of those 4, none are currently at 'major' schools.

Well glad to see those numbers are so low.

(01-08-2016 09:05 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(01-08-2016 05:17 PM)Michael James Wrote:  

(01-08-2016 05:09 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  So what's the track record on coaches who get this and are still at the same school the very next year?..or 2 years later?

Since 2004, of the 9 coaches still active 5 are still with the program and 4 are not. Of those 4, none are currently at 'major' schools.

Well glad to see those numbers are so low.

Yep! And those are the numbers for the year end final winners, I don't think there is an actual award for midseason.

Would be so nice to win tomorrow night, some more great pub would be coming NIU's way with an entry into the Mid Major Top 25 on Monday a certainty.

Basketball is different from football with how quickly coaches move up. Monty isn't going anywhere for now.

I think NIU would have to make the tourney before Monty would get hot.

Monty is a good coach and a nice person.

When the day comes that he moves on I hope it's to bigger and better, that will mean the program has accomplished some great things.

If it happened, Borovich would be my choice.

no doubt, Borovich would be the smart hire. Great basketball mind, fiery, competitive as hell, and has been a big part of this turnaround. In this day and age, all you gotta do to get the next big job is catch lightning in a bottle, like win two games in NCAA tourney. Not saying it will happen this year, but, with this squad, the sky is the limit

(01-09-2016 10:06 AM)dpgohuskies Wrote:  Monty is a good coach and a nice person.

When the day comes that he moves on I hope it's to bigger and better, that will mean the program has accomplished some great things.

If it happened, Borovich would be my choice.

Agreed 100%

(01-08-2016 05:05 PM)Michael James Wrote:  

Quote:After leading the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team to a 12-2 start, head coach Mark Montgomery has been named recipient of the Hugh Durham Award mid-season honors.

NIU started the season 7-0, the best start to a season since 1994-95 and the third-best unbeaten start in school history; the Huskies’ 11 non-conference wins are the most for the program since the 1971-72 season. On Jan. 2 against Judson, Montgomery collected his 50th career victory, becoming the ninth head coach in school history to reach the 50-win plateau.

The Huskies, who were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll, opened conference play with an 80-69 win over Ohio on Wednesday night (Jan. 6); the win was NIU’s 12th-straight at home, setting a new school record.

The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. The award is named in honor of Hugh Durham who had retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). He is the only coach among that group to have led both schools to their lone Final Four appearance.

Montgomery and the Huskies return to action on Saturday, Jan. 9, as they host Eastern Michigan. The contest is the second game of a doubleheader with the NIU women’s basketball team hosting Eastern Michigan at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at approximately 7:30 p.m.

http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-baskb...16aaa.html

Great for the program and for Monty!

Go Huskies!

He was sitting next to me waiting to talk to Bill Baker during the women's game and I congratulated him on the award and said thanks but its the one at the end of the season that counts.