CHICAGO (March 22, 2022) – Drew Valentine, the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball at 30 years of age, has been named one of 15 finalists for the Joe B. Hall award, which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I basketball.
 
Valentine, who spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago before assuming the lead chair this season, was one of the most successful coaches in the country in 2021-22, guiding the Ramblers to a 25-8 overall record, a Missouri Valley Conference Championship title and a NCAA Tournament berth. His 25 wins are the most ever by a Loyola first-year head coach and he is the only coach in program history to lead the Ramblers to a NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season as a coach.
 
Only three first-year head coaches have piloted their teams to 25 or more wins this season – Valentine (25), Hubert Davis of North Carolina (26) and Arizona's Tommy Lloyd (33).  This marked the fifth consecutive campaign that Loyola won 20 or more games and the Ramblers are one of only seven NCAA Division I programs to have posted 20 or more victories in each of the last five years.
 
Valentine is one of only five first-year skippers to captain his squad to a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021-22.
 
Hall succeeded the legendary Adolph Rupp as head coach at the University of Kentucky and finished with a 20-8 record in his first season, guiding the Wildcats to a Southeastern Conference title and to the NCAA regional finals. Hall was a four-time SEC Coach of the Year honoree and led Kentucky to the 1978 NCAA championship.
 
The finalists for the 2021-22 Joe B. Hall Award follow.
 
2021-22 Joe B. Hall Award Finalists
Speedy Claxton, Hofstra
Hubert Davis, North Carolina
Gerald Gillion, Chicago State
Kevin Kruger, UNLV
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Steve Lutz, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Tony Madlock, South Carolina State
Jordan Mincy, Jacksonville
Kyle Neptune, Fordham
David Riley, Eastern Washington
Levell Sanders, Binghamton
Brette Tanner, Abilene Christian
Drew Valentine, Loyola
Chris Victor, Seattle
Mike Woodson, Indiana