Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

"On behalf of the WBCA, I would like to congratulate Brian Morehouse for being named the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National NCAA Division III Coach of the Year," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "We applaud his efforts in standing above the rest in leading Hope College to a successful year both on and off of the court."

In his 10th year with the Flying Dutch, Morehouse has compiled a 232-51 record. This year his team has posted a 31-1 record going into the NCAA Division III Final Four. This is Hope College's first Final Four appearance since 1990.

Finishing 16-0 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) this season, Hope College became the first team to go through a 16-game league undefeated. Morehouse's team won the regular season MIAA title as well as the MIAA tournament championship for an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

Morehouse serves on the coach of the year selection committee of the WBCA and the NCAA Great Lakes region advisory committee.

"Russell Athletic is proud to support the WBCA and be the presenting sponsor of the Coach of the Year Awards," said Calvin Johnston, President & CEO of Russell Athletic. "We are huge supporters of women's sports across America and rewarding excellence is a hallmark of our company."

Morehouse is one of six RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected by the Association, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions I and II, NAIA and JC/CC) as well as High School. Each collegiate winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Morehouse, added as an at-large member because of his participation in the NCAA Division III Women's Final Four, advanced as a finalist to the national level of the selection process along with the eight Regional Coaches of the Year in NCAA Division III.

The WBCA would also like to recognize the following regional Division III Coaches of the Year:

In addition to the regional winners, the following NCAA Division III Women's Final Four coaches were also included as at-large nominations:

Morehouse and the national winners from the other five divisions will be honored at the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year Luncheon presented by AstraZeneca on Tuesday, April 4 at 12:00 p.m. (ET) in the Hynes Convention Center Ballroom. The luncheon is part of the 2006 WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Boston, Mass. This year the WBCA celebrates its Silver Anniversary, marking 25 years of existence.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as an amateur sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.