Former Q.U. Basketball Coach Steve Hawkins a Finalist for the Hugh Durham Award

The fifteen finalists for the 2014 Hugh Durham Award were recently announced and it was good news for a former Quincy University Coach.. Former Quincy University and current Western Michigan head men's basketball coach Steve Hawkins is listed among the finalists, according to Western Michigan.

Hawkins led the Broncos to 20 plus wins for the sixth time in his 11-year tenure, as well as the 10th time in program history, despite returning just two starters from last season's squad that finished the year with a 22-13 record. He coached the Broncos to two wins in the 2014 MAC Tournament, leading WMU to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and the second in his tenure. His Broncos lost yesterday in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament to Syracuse.

Earlier this season, Hawkins notched his 200th win as head coach of the Broncos, making him one of just eight coaches in MAC history to surpass 200 wins. His .617 winning percentage in MAC games ranks seventh in conference history.

The Hugh Durham Award is given annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. The award is named in honor of Hugh Durham who had retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). He is the only coach among that group to have led both schools to their lone Final Four appearance.

The winner of the 2014 Durham award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet on April 4 in Dallas, site of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.