Pinoy Magpayo nets best rookie coach award in US NCAA

Filipino college basketball coach Mike Magpayo received the Joe B. Hall award — a citation given to the best rookie coach in the US NCAA.

Magpayo, the first Asian-American coach in the NCAA Division 1, got the award for leading the University of California (UC) Riverside to a 14-7 record, good for the third spot in the Big West Standings.

The 41-year-old mentor also brought the Highlanders to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament for the first time since 2011.

“Dealing with the pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding the future of athletics at UC Riverside, Mike Magpayo led the program to a historic season,” said Angela Lento, Vice President of CollegeInsider.com, the media body that bestowed the award to Magpayo.

Magpayo edged out Wichita State’s Isaac Brown, Georgia Southern’s Brian Burg, Texas State’s Terrence Johnson, Loyola Marymount’s Stan Johnson, Southeast Missouri State’s Brad Korn, ETSU’s Jason Shay, and UNCW’s Takayo Siddle for the plum.