April 2, 2026

MIAMI’S TRAVIS STEELE RECIPIENT OF 2026 JOHN MCLENDON AWARD
Presented annually to the top head coach among all levels of college basketball.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Miami’s Travis Steele is the recipient of the 2026 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award.  The award is presented annually to the top head coach among all levels of college basketball (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO).

Steele led Miami (32-2) to a program record for wins in a season, breaking the mark of 25 established last year. The RedHawks are just the fifth division I program, this century, to go undefeated during regular season play.

"I was very fortunate to be on Miami's campus for the first summer practice for the RedHawks," said Jamie Kachmarik, Senior Analyst for College Insider, Inc. and member of the John McLendon award voting panel. "The energy and enthusiasm that Coach Steele and his staff had on day one was electric.  By the end of that practice, you could see that this Miami team had something different about them. The trust and confidence that the players showed for Coach Steele not only on day one of the summer but throughout the season was magical. Coach Steele has built a mid-major powerhouse in Oxford, Ohio."

In December, shortly after being named to the Lou Henson award 'Early Season' Watch List, Evan Ipsaro was injured and lost for the season. Without their starting point guard, the RedHawks never missed a beat.

Steele's team set records for the most consecutive home wins overall (31) and road wins overall (15). Miami also secured the best start for a program in MAC history, the most consecutive conference wins in MAC history and the longest win streak in conference history.

Miami was ranked No. 10 in the preseason Mid-Major Top 25®. The RedHawks quickly moved up to the Top 5 and spent the remainder of the season there, supplanting Gonzaga at No. 1 on March 2.

The RedHawks also entered the Top 25 rankings for the first time since Feb. 14, 1999. They climbed as high as No. 19, which was the program's highest ranking since March 13, 1978.

The Mid-American Coach of the Year, had plenty of company on the All-MAC teams. Senior Peter Suder was named MAC Player of the Year. Sophomore Brant Byers and junior Eian Elmer earned 2nd Team honors, sophomore Luke Skaljac was a 3rd team selection, and senior Antwone Woolfolk was honorable mention All-League.

Miami ended the year with a program-record 1,049 made field goals and scored a program-record 3,047 points while also setting new records for field goal percentage (51.7%) and most made free throws in a season (592).

The Coach John McLendon award is named in honor of one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. A trailblazer and one of the true pioneers of the game, McLendon became the first African American coach to win an integrated national championship. His team went on to win the NAIA Division I Men's Tournament in 1957, 1958 and 1959, making him the first coach in history to win three consecutive NAIA championships.

In 1962 he became the first African American head coach in a major professional league (ABL) with the Cleveland Pipers. In 1966 he became the first African American head coach of predominantly-white university, when he took over the Cleveland State program. He led the team to their best record in school history.

In 1969, McLendon was hired by the Denver Rockets and became the first African American head coach in the American Basketball Association. After a brief stint with the Rockets, McLendon ended his 25-year professional coaching career with a winning percentage of .760 and a lifetime career average of 523 victories and 165 losses.

Coach McLendon passed away on October 8, 1999. He was 84 years of age.


PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS
Jon Scheyer, Duke (2025); Kelvin Sampson, Houston (2024); Kenny Blakeney, Howard (2023); Hubert Davis, North Carolina (2022); Kelvin Sampson, Houston (2021); Joe Gallo, Merrimack (2020); Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State (2019); Chris Beard, Texas Tech (2018); Chris Holtmann, Ohio State (2017); King Rice, Monmouth (2016); Jim Engles, NJIT (2015); Gregg Marshall, Wichita State (2014); John Thompson III, Georgetown (2013); Horace Broadnax, Savannah State (2012).

ABOUT COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
Established in 1996, CollegeInsider.com has been at the forefront of promoting college basketball online. In the July 27, 1998, issue of ESPN the Magazine, College Insider was ranked No. 24 on the magazine’s list of 99 Things to do Before you Die. College Insider created the Mid-Major Top 25®, the measuring stick for men’s and women’s programs outside of the proverbial power leagues, and has 18 national awards presented annually, including the Lute Olson Award, Lou Henson Award, and the John McLendon Award. The CollegeInsider.com All-Access series has been nominated for 5 Emmy Awards and won 2013 Emmy, for its’ feature on New York City Basketball (Iona, LIU-Brooklyn and Manhattan). CI also created This Game No Secret, which debuted during the 2016 CIT and now has become an annual event, which has included programs like Duke, Houston, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas and Virginia.

NOTE: Portions of the press release came from Miami University releases.