Jennie Baranczyk, Bill Fennelly on Naismith Coach of Year List
Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk and Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly are the two Big 12 coaches on the Naismith Coach of the Year watch list, released on Wednesday.
Baranczyk is in her first year with the Oklahoma Sooners, while Fennelly is in his 27th season with Iowa State.
The Cyclones lead the Big 12 Conference entering their game with Texas on Wednesday, while the Sooners are a game back as they host Texas Tech. The Sooners and Cyclones play each on Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
Baranczyk, who succeeded Sherri Coale, has led the Sooners (20-4, 9-3 in Big 12) to four Top-25 wins this season, the most of any first-year head coach in OU history. The Sooners also swept Baylor for the first time in more than a decade. The Sooners are off their best start in 13 seasons and have reached 20 wins the third-fastest in program history.
Fennelly has led the Cyclones (21-3, 10-2) to a 21-3 start for the first time in program history. The Cyclones trying to win their first Big 12 regular-season crown since the 2000 season. ISU is one of 11 teams nationally to have at least seven wins over teams in the NCAA’s NET Top 50.
2022 Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year
Late-Season Watch List
(Big 12 Coaches in Bold)
Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma
Adia Barnes, Arizona
Kim Barnes-Arico, Michigan
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State
Kelly Rae Finley, Florida
Nell Fortner, Georgia Tech
Kellie Harper, Tennessee
Jeff Judkins, BYU
Wes Moore, NC State
Teri Moren, Indiana
Kim Mulkey, LSU
Karl Smesko, FGCU
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Jeff Walz, Louisville
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
