NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Jacksonville coach Jordan Mincy is the 2022 recipient of the Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball.

A former Florida assistant, Mincy orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in his first season as a head coach. The Dolphins won 21 games - the program’s best result since 1986 - and more than doubled its victory total from the previous season. Jacksonville finished second in the Atlantic Sun’s East division and lost in the championship game of the conference tournament.

The Dolphins dominated defense and the backboards in their historic season, ranking top 30 in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage and 53rd in effective field goal percentage defense.

One of the youngest Division I coaches in the nation, Mincy, 35, developed the returning players and attracted impactful newcomers to build a formidable unit that lost by more than nine points only three times in 31 games.

The Joe B. Hall award is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball.

A longtime Kentucky assistant, Joe B. Hall 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).

Joe B. Hall passed away on Jan. 15, 2022, at the age of 93.

2021-22 JOE B. HALL AWARD FINALISTS