Butler's Todd Lickliter wins Hugh Durham Award
Jan. 9, 2007
Indianapolis, Ind. - Less then a week after receiving the Jim Phelan mid-season coaching honors, Butler University's Todd Lickliter has received the Hugh Durham Award, which recognizes the outstanding coach at the mid-major level. Lickliter outdistanced Army head coach Jim Crews by 37 points (68-31), while receiving 11 first-place votes.
"Their success this season has been well documented, but this is nothing new to those close to Butler basketball," says CollegeInsider.com's Angela Lento. "Coach Lickliter truly represents all that is good about college basketball so it's nice to see him honored with this award."
Now in his sixth season as the head coach at Butler, Todd Lickliter has taken the program to new heights, which include the school's highest national ranking in more then half a century. What makes the great start even more impressive is where the Bulldogs, currently 13-1, ere picked to finish, before the start of the season.
Surprisingly Butler was picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League's preseason vote back in October. The League's coaches, sports information directors and media members may have to rethink that vote, as two months later the Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Major Top 25 and No. 13 in both the Associated Press (AP) and the ESPN/USA Today polls released on New Year's Day.
Lickliter received 68 total points. Army's Jim Crews finished a distance second with 31 points, but did pick up three first-place votes, which was second best. Bill Evans (Southern Utah University), Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois University), Gregg Marshall (Winthrop University), Bob McKillop (Davidson College) and Mark Turgeon (Wichita State University) also received first-place votes.
Last season Bucknell University's Pat Flannery received mid-season and season-ending honors and was presented with the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year award at the Final Four, in Indianapolis.
The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Coach of the Year award was renamed in honor of Hugh Durham who retired at the end of the 2004-05 season.
FINAL VOTING (first place votes in parentheses) Todd Lickliter, Butler (11) - 68 Jim Crews, Army (3) - 31 Bruiser Flint, Drexel - 24 Mark Turgeon, Wichita State (2) - 23 Gregg Marshall, Winthrop (1) - 20 Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois (1) - 16Bob McKillop, Davidson (1) - 16 Bill Evans, Southern Utah (2) - 14 Tim Miles, North Dakota State - 12 Barry Hinson, Missouri State - 11 Houston Fancher, Appalachian State - 10Matt Brady, Marist - 9 Jim Yarbrough, Southeastern Louisiana - 8 Dick Davey, Santa Clara - 7 Johnny Jones, North Texas - 7 Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa - 5 Jim Christian, Kent State - 4 Mark Few, Gonzaga - 3 Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara - 3 Horace Broadnax, Savannah State - 2 Anthony Grant, VCU - 2 Darrin Horn, Western Kentucky - 2 Ken Bone, Portland State - 1 Scott Sanderson, Lipscomb - 1
