St. Aug's Blow, Jr. named Division II National Basketball Coach of the Year

Blow, Jr. Named Division II National Basketball Coach of the Year

April 7, 2010
 
Head Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. of Saint Augustine’s College was named 2010 Division II national men’s basketball coach of the year Tuesday by Heritage Sports Radio Network in an on-line fan poll.
 
The national award is the first for Blow, a second-year coach who led the Falcons to one of their greatest seasons ever. Blow guided the Falcons to the CIAA Championship and the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in 13 years.
 
“I’m excited about it,” said Blow about the honor. “A lot of the credit goes to the players. They bought in to what we were trying to do all year long. Credit also goes to my assistant coaches [MarQus Johnson and Tellis J. Frank, Jr.]. This was a special season.”
 
Blow, named 2010 CIAA men’s basketball coach of the year in February, also directed the Falcons to 27 victories which is a modern school single-season record. The Falcons also won the CIAA Western Division title for the first time since 2004 and earned the CIAA academic award for best grade point average in men’s basketball.

The Falcons entered the NCAA Division II Tournament ranked third in the Atlantic Region and 23rd nationally in the final NABC Coaches Poll. They defeated Kutztown 70-54 in the first-round for their first postseason victory in 13 years. The Falcons bowed out in the second round to West Liberty 90-83. They closed the season with a 27-5 record which is the best winning percentage (84.3 percent) at Saint Augustine’s College since 1975 when the NCAA started compiling the Falcons’ statistics.
 
“It is a blessing to be recognized conference-wise, regional-wise and now nationally,” said Blow, whose two-year record is 46-15 at Saint Augustine’s College. “Getting coach of the year honors, in addition to the team being nationally ranked, really puts the program on the national scene. That was one of my goals when I arrived.”
 
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