April 3, 2017

2017 BEN JOBE AWARD

PHOENIX, AZ -- Mount St. Mary’s Jamion Christian is the recipient of the 2017 Ben Jobe Coach of the Year award.

After starting the season 1-11, Christian led the Mount to its first Northeast Conference regular season title since the 1995-96 season. 

The Mountaineers defeated New Orleans in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. That win gave the Mount 20 wins for just the second time since making the move to Division I in 1988-89.

Mount St. Mary’s posted a 14-4 record in the NEC. The 14 league wins are the second most in program history. Mountaineers were 7-2 on the road in league play, which matched the 1995-96 team for the most conference road victories.

“Jamion Christian is an outstanding coach, but he is also one of the best people in the business,” said CollegeInsider.com’s Angela Lento. “Someday soon he will be a household name.”

The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top minority coach in division I men's basketball. An icon in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Jobe is best known as the head coach of the Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons.

His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was Southern's 93-78 win over Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.