The World Exposure Report NJCAA Division II women's college basketball coaching awards came out Friday morning.
Kevin McManaman won the award given to the top assistant in the country after helping lead the Morton College Panthers to Port Huron (Michigan) for Nationals.
"It's truly an honor to win this, very grateful to be considered like most awards. I can only thank the players and the guidance under Jason Nichols with the system that he made for us to have success on the court. I look back and am lucky how I am part of this system, it's the players that make coaches look so good. How they execute what they are taught. Since July, nine months in the working, and it's always been the players that execute the game plan," Assistant Coach Kevin McManaman said.
What a year it was to be a Morton Panther. After Wednesday had their top two scorers named to the NJCAA Division II All-American squad, another prestigious award has been added to their tremendous 2021-22 campaign.
McManaman was alongside head coach Jason Nichols, and the pair repeated as Region IV champions this past season. He brings 20-plus years of coaching experience and has impacted the players on and off the hardwood.
"It has been a great two years going into May, working under a lot of coaches, the ultimate goal is to always have a ton of success. This is all based on all the hard work by the players. I am lucky and fortunate to be a part of all of this," Assistant Coach Kevin McManaman stated.
A native of La Grange, Kevin has been an assistant women's basketball coach at Akron, Cleveland State, Northern Illinois, UIC, Marquette and Milwaukee.
Also as an assistant on the softball team, the experience from prior Division I experience has allowed the Panthers to grow immensely over these past two seasons.
Combining to go 47-5 over the past two years with coach Nichols has given the program a productive tandem that most programs could only dream of matching. Consecutive Region IV titles have allowed the Panthers to make their mark in the Skyway Conference on top of shocking the landscape at Nationals this season.
''Kevin puts countless hours into the basketball program. His best ability is his availability," Head Coach Jason Nichols said.
Morton College won three games during their trip to Michigan and ended up as the national runner-up while posting an incredible 30-3 record, which included a program-best 26-game winning streak.
''These awards are a blessing and make me feel blessed, very lucky to learn a great system and to be taught that. To be able to share the knowledge with all the players, to have it come to fruition is special. It was even more prevalent at Nationals, when we went up against all the top-ranked teams. It showed how hard our players worked for our system," Assistant Coach Kevin McManaman said.
Being able to knock off not one, but two of the top teams in the country was an impressive journey that saw the Panthers advance all the way to the national championship.
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