WASHINGTON - American University head coach Duane Simpkins has been named a national finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually by CollegeInsider.com to the top minority head coach in Division I men's basketball. Now in just his second season leading the Eagles, Simpkins has quickly reshaped the program into a Patriot League contender.

The 2025 award winner will be announced in San Antonio, Texas, site of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. For a full list of finalists, click HERE.

Under Simpkins' leadership, American claimed a share of the Patriot League regular season championship for the first time since 2009, tying a program record with 13 league victories. After inheriting a team that won just seven conference games in 2022-23, he guided the Eagles to 10 PL wins in his first season before raising the bar even higher this year. The 13-win total matches the 2013-14 and 2008-09 squads for the most Patriot League wins in program history.

With 19 victories so far, AU has surpassed last season's total of 16 and posted its winningest campaign since the 2013-14 Patriot League Tournament Championship season.

Beyond the success on the court, Simpkins has reinvigorated fan engagement at Bender Arena. AU has averaged 1,518 fans per home game this season—ranking second in the Patriot League and its highest placement since 2014-15.

The Eagles are the No. 2 seed in the PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship, and will host No. 7 seed Lafayette in a quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 6.

About The Ben Jobe Award
The Ben Jobe Award is named in honor of one of the most iconic coaches in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is best known as the head coach of Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons. He was also head coach at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega, Tuskegee, and South Carolina State.

His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was leading No. 15 seed Southern to a 93-78 win over No. 2 Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.