MIKE Magpayo continued to make history as the UC Riverside coach has been named as the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year.
The Los Angeles-born mentor received the award from CollegeInsider.com, which is given to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball.
Magpayo, the first Asian-American to coach an NCAA Division I team, was a game-changer in his first season at the helm for the Highlanders, leading the team to a program-best 14-8 overall record, and 8-4 to finish at third place in the Big West Conference. The 63.6-percent winning percentage is the best mark for the school in 20 years.
Seeded third, UC Riverside hurdled no. 6 Hawaii, 62-52, in the quarterfinals, before losing to no. 2 UC Irvine, 78-61, in the semifinals, its first since 2011.
Magpayo also orchestrated one of the top defenses in the US, ranking no. 28 in points allowed (63.6 points) and no. 23 in field goal percentage allowed (40.2-percent), while also going on a 7-1 record when holding teams below 60 points.
The Highlanders' offense is equally as potent, leading the Big West in three-pointers with 201 made, an average of 9.1 makes per game.
Those turnarounds rubbed off to Magpayo's players, with Arinze Chidom named in the All-Big West First Team, just the fourth player to earn that accolade in UC Riverside history.
Senior Jock Perry and sophomore Zyon Pullin were also part of the All-Big West Honorable Mention, while senior Dominick Pickett was feted the Big West Conference's Best Hustle Player.
Magpayo beat out seven other first-year coaches for the honor, which is presented in honor of Joe B. Hall, the longtime Kentucky assistant who came for the legendary Adolph Rupp and sustained the Wildcats' excellence, finishing 20-8 in the 1972-73 season, winning the SEC and reaching the Elite Eight. His tenure from 1972-85 saw him lead Kentucky to 297 games and won the 1978 NCAA Championship.
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