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James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
10/29/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison women's basketball head coach Sean O'Regan has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2027 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, Her Hoop Stats announced on Thursday morning.
This year's watch list includes coaches from 12 conferences, including three from both the A-10 and the Pac-12. The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate.
The Dukes finished 26-9 (14-4 Sun Belt) in 2025-26, highlighted by capturing the Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship crown and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship for the 14th time in program history and for the first time since 2023.
Now in his 11th season as head coach, O'Regan owns a career record of 236-90 (.724) and has guided the Dukes to four consecutive Sun Belt championship game appearances. Last season, JMU finished in the top 50 in seven categories nationally: rebounds per game (11th – 42.06), rebound margin (14th – +8.5), defensive rebounds per game (19th – 28.7), scoring margin (35th – +12.9), field goal percentage (41st - 44.7%), scoring offense (44th – 74.2), and field goal percentage defense (47th – 37.5%).
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached nine Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and all 22 of Harvard's 1,000-point scorers in the program's NCAA Division I history. Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Preseason Watch List
Brady Sallee, Ball State
Ryun Williams, Colorado State
Megan Griffith, Columbia
Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield
Neil Harrow, Fordham
Vanessa Blair-Lewis, George Mason
Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Carrie Moore, Harvard
Sean O'Regan, James Madison
Brooke Stoehr, Louisiana Tech
Tricia Binford, Montana State
Rechelle Turner, Murray State
Amy Eagan, New Mexico
Jory Collins, North Dakota State
Lindsay Edmonds, Rice
Alisa Kresge, Richmond
Stacie Terry-Hutson, San Diego State
Loree Payne, Santa Clara
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
Kristy Curry, USF
This year's watch list includes coaches from 12 conferences, including three from both the A-10 and the Pac-12. The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate.
The Dukes finished 26-9 (14-4 Sun Belt) in 2025-26, highlighted by capturing the Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship crown and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship for the 14th time in program history and for the first time since 2023.
Now in his 11th season as head coach, O'Regan owns a career record of 236-90 (.724) and has guided the Dukes to four consecutive Sun Belt championship game appearances. Last season, JMU finished in the top 50 in seven categories nationally: rebounds per game (11th – 42.06), rebound margin (14th – +8.5), defensive rebounds per game (19th – 28.7), scoring margin (35th – +12.9), field goal percentage (41st - 44.7%), scoring offense (44th – 74.2), and field goal percentage defense (47th – 37.5%).
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached nine Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and all 22 of Harvard's 1,000-point scorers in the program's NCAA Division I history. Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Preseason Watch List
Brady Sallee, Ball State
Ryun Williams, Colorado State
Megan Griffith, Columbia
Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield
Neil Harrow, Fordham
Vanessa Blair-Lewis, George Mason
Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Carrie Moore, Harvard
Sean O'Regan, James Madison
Brooke Stoehr, Louisiana Tech
Tricia Binford, Montana State
Rechelle Turner, Murray State
Amy Eagan, New Mexico
Jory Collins, North Dakota State
Lindsay Edmonds, Rice
Alisa Kresge, Richmond
Stacie Terry-Hutson, San Diego State
Loree Payne, Santa Clara
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State
Kristy Curry, USF
Wednesday, March 11
Wednesday, March 11
Saturday, February 28
Saturday, February 28
