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McMath Wins Coach of the Year Award

June 18, 2018

Carlos McMath, the Head Coach of the Delta College Men’s Basketball team, was recently named 2017-18 Junior College Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM).

 McMath received the honor after leading the men’s basketball team to its best season in 29 years. He also won the NJCAA District 10 Coach of the Year Award in the wake of winning the district championship with a team he described as having an exceptional sense of grit and team atmosphere.

 “The players had one common goal. To be successful,” McMath says of this year’s team. “At the end of the day, they wanted to win. I think that’s what guided us to continue to have so much success.”

 Although honored to receive the award, McMath gives much of the credit for this accomplishment to his coaching staff and team.

 “I’m happy for my assistant coaches, Marshall Gray, Greg McMath and Chuck Lord. They put in a lot of work and don’t get recognition,” says McMath. “So do the players. If the players don’t have success on the court, there is no coach of the year award. They laid the foundation for me to achieve this goal.”

 McMath began his coaching career in 2009 as an undergrad at Wayne State University. The 2017-18 season was his third year as the Delta College head coach.

The 2017-18 Season

The men’s basketball team finished this past season with a 23-8 record after winning their first 10 straight games and went on to win the NJCAA District 10 Championship, defeating Schoolcraft in the final game 73-66. This victory extended Delta’s season, as it sent them to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. The last time Delta made it to the tournament, in 1989, they won the tournament.

“It was a whirlwind experience,” says McMath. “Especially for the players. For them to have the opportunity to make it to the national level with Delta.”

The team battled hard in the 2018 national tournament, upsetting South Suburban in a nail biter that resulted in a final score of 82-80, a game that McMath described as very intense as the final seconds winded down. Delta then went on to beat Arkansas State Mid-South 80-73. Despite the Pioneers stellar play, they ultimately lost to Pima in the semifinal round and finished fourth in the nation.

Looking to the Future

Coach McMath is starting to piece together next year’s roster, with the goal of defending their NJCAA District 10 title and making it back to the national tournament – this time to win!