Bethune-Cookman University’s head men’s basketball coach, Reggie Theus, has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Ben Jobe Award. The announcement was made by CollegeInsider.com on Tuesday. This annual award honors the top minority head coach in Division I college basketball.
Under Theus’s guidance, Bethune-Cookman achieved a 16-13 overall record and went 13-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play during the season. These results led to the Wildcats securing their first SWAC regular season championship since joining the conference and marked their second regular season title since moving to Division I competition. The team posted a 10-1 home record in SWAC games and won several key road contests, helping them stand out in conference standings.
The Ben Jobe Award is named after Ben Jobe, who is recognized as an influential figure among coaches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Jobe was best known for his tenure at Southern University, where he coached for 12 seasons and recorded a 209-141 record. During his career at Southern, he led the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances, one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, eleven SWAC titles, and two NAIA Tournament Championships. One of his most notable achievements was coaching No. 15 seed Southern to a victory over No. 2 Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament.
Coach Jobe died on March 10, 2017.
Selection for the Ben Jobe Award is conducted by a committee of ten members that includes current and former head coaches as well as senior staff from CollegeInsider.com.
The winner of this year’s award will be announced in Indianapolis, Indiana during the men’s Division I Basketball Championship. A complete list of finalists can be found at CollegeInsider.com.
“The award is presented annually to the top minority head coach in division I college basketball,” according to CollegeInsider.com.
