March 30, 2023

HOUSTON, TX -- Fordham’s Keith Urgo is the recipient of the 2023 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award.

Picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10, Urgo led Fordham to one of the best seasons in program history. The Rams finished 25-8, equaling the second-highest win total in school history. 

Fordham's 12 Atlantic 10 wins and .667 conference winning percentage also set new high-water marks for the program.  The Rams, who tied for second in the final conference standings, reached the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship for just the second time in school history and the first since 2006.

“Keith Urgo has put Fordham basketball back on the map,” said Angela Lento, Vice President of CollegeInsider.com. “The level of excitement, surrounding the program, is something we haven’t seen in decades. There is nothing quite like the passion and intensity of basketball in New York City and he has brought that back to ‘Rose Thrill’ gym. This was the best group of finalists we have ever had for the Joe B. Hall award and Keith Urgo is the best of the best.”

Fordham finished tied for 2nd place in the conference, which was the best finish for the Rams as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and the third seed in the conference tournament was the highest ever.

The 2023 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year is the first Fordham head man to win A-10 Coaching honors since 1999.

The Joe B. Hall award is named in honor of longtime Kentucky head coach Joe B. Hall who was given the task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp at the school. In his first season, Hall finished 20-8, won the SEC and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals.

Hall coached the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He won two-thirds of his games (297-100), received four SEC Coach of the Year honors, and won a National Championship in 1978. He also steered the program to two other Final Fours, won eight Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship (1984).

Coach Hall passed away on January 15, 2022.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

2023 JOE B. HALL AWARD FINALISTS

Note: Some of the content from the press release came directly from Fordham University media releases.