UIC's Moore, Detroit's McCallum Named Finalists for Ben Jobe Award

BOSTON -- UIC head men’s basketball coach Howard Moore and Detroit head coach Ray McCallum were named as two of the 20 finalists for the Ben Jobe Award, which annually honors the top minority head coach in the Division I ranks.

The 2013 recipient will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.

Moore has led the Flames to one of the largest turnarounds in the nation during the 2012-13 season, orchestrating a turnaround that saw an increase of nine total wins (17) from the 2011-12 campaign (8), including a winning percentage increase of 26.46.  UIC posted notable wins over 2012 postseason foes Mercer, Iona, Northwestern, Colorado State, Cleveland State and Milwaukee.  The Flames also garnered the No. 5 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, their best regular season finish since securing the No. 4 seed at the conclusion of the 2007-08 campaign.

UIC began the season with a 9-1 record, and appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 in four-consecutive weeks.  The Flames, who were eliminated from the Horizon League Championship on a buzzer-beater in the quarterfinals, are continuing to practice in hopes of being selected for a postseason berth.

Under McCallum, Detroit posted its second consecutive 20-win season, posting a 20-12 overall mark and earning the No. 2 seed for the Horizon League Tournament, the program's best conference finish in McCallum's five years. Since McCallum has taken over, the Titans have increased their conference win total in every season (2, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Detroit has also increased its place in the regular season standings each season under McCallum (10th, 7th, t-5th, t-3rd and 2nd).

The Titans boast one of the nation's most efficient offenses, led by McCallum's son, Ray. A year after returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, Detroit will again be a postseason participant, with its final destination to be determined.

Other finalists for the Ben Jobe Award are Tommy Amaker (Harvard), Mike Anderson (Arkansas), Kevin Baggett (Rider), Roman Banks (Southern), Jamion Christian (Mount St. Mary's), Mike Davis (Texas Southern), Anthony Evans (Norfolk State), Anthony Grant (Alabama), James Green (Jacksonville State), Frank Haith (Missouri), Joe Jones (Boston University), Cuonzo Martin (Tennessee), Bashir Mason (Wagner), Marvin Menzies (New Mexico State), LeVelle Moton (North Carolina Central), Kevin Ollie (Connecticut), Shaka Smart (VCU) and John Thompson III (Georgetown).

The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top minority coach in Division I men's basketball. Coach Jobe is an icon in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of the Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He has also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee and South Carolina State.