INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Cal State East Bay's Bryan Rooney is the recipient of the 2026 Clarence "Big House" Gaines National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the top head coach in Division II college basketball.
After finishing 11-17 a season ago, Rooney led Cal State East Bay to a 33-1 record and a berth in the Elite Eight of the Division II NCAA Tournament.
"What a remarkable turnaround in Hayward, California," said Joe Dwyer, President of CollegeInsider.com and a member of the Clarence Gaines Award voting panel. "Coach Rooney and the Pioneers rewrote the record books this season after being an afterthought heading into the year. He did one of the best coaching jobs at any level of college basketball this season."
Picked to finish sixth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Pioneers completed the first-ever 22-0 run through conference play, and their 31 overall wins set a school record.
In addition to the single-season record for victories, Rooney's team posted the longest winning streak, best winning percentage, and highest ranking in program history. The Pioneers finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Division II Top 25.
The 22-win improvement is among the best marks of all time at any level of NCAA basketball (+29 wins is the record).
The Pioneers entered the postseason as the only undefeated team remaining at any level of NCAA men's basketball. East Bay's appearance in the Elite Eight marked the deepest postseason run in program history, as the Pioneers fell in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Now in his ninth season, Rooney was also named CCAA Coach of the Year and NABC District Coach of the Year.
The Clarence Gaines Award is named in honor of legendary Winston-Salem State head coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines.
One of the all-time greats, Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time, he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU, he coached professional basketball standouts Cleo Hill—the first African American from a historically Black college or university to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks in 1961—and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.
Coach Gaines passed away on April 18, 2005.
PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS
Mike MacDonald, Daemen (2025); Jordan Fee, Gannon (2024); Jim Crutchfield, Nova Southeastern (2023); Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State (2022); Todd Duncan, Lubbock Christian (2021); Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State (2020); Andre Cook, St. Edward's (2019); Grady Brewer, Morehouse College (2018); Darren Vorderbruegge, Hawaii Pacific (2017); Josh Schertz, Lincoln Memorial (2016); Chad Walthall, Minnesota State Moorhead (2015); Jeff Wilson, East Stroudsburg (2014); Tom Billeter, Augustana College (2013); Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State (2012); Steve Kinder, Humboldt State (2011).
