Jon Scheyer, Rick Pitino Lead 2025 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Finalists

After leading their respective teams through impressive seasons in 2024-25, a select few coaches were honored with national recognition on Monday.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer headlines the group of four finalists for the 2025 Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, joining St. John's Rick Pitino, Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Houston's Kelvin Sampson.

Scheyer, Pearl and Sampson are still alive in the NCAA tournament and are trying to lead their respective teams to a national championship this year.

In his third season as Duke head coach after replacing the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, Scheyer led the team to a No. 1 ranking in the final AP Top 25 of the regular season after going 31-3 and winning the ACC tournament championship. The Blue Devils added two more wins in the NCAA tournament when they defeated Mount St. Mary's and Baylor in dominant fashion to advance to the Sweet 16, where they will face Arizona.

Scheyer has managed to bring the best out of a youthful team, as Duke has one of the youngest starting lineups among top squads with the freshman trio of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. Flagg is one of the front-runners for National Player of the Year and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Pitino took only two years at St. John's to bring the program back to the national stage. After going 20-13 in 2023-24 and missing the NCAA tournament, the Red Storm finished the year with a 31-5 record after winning their first Big East tournament championship in 25 years and eventually falling to Arkansas in the NCAA tournament second round.

One of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, Pitino is now the first coach in NCAA history to lead six Division I programs into the NCAA tournament. St. John's hadn't made it to the Big Dance since 2019, and Pitino's presence makes the team a perennial contender going forward.

Pearl led Auburn to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament after its impressive season. The Tigers won the SEC regular season title and have a 30-5 record entering their Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan. In January, Pearl became the winningest coach in Auburn history, and the team's sixth NCAA tournament appearance under his guidance is the most of any coach in program history.

Sampson, who is a finalist for the third straight year, led Houston to its fourth straight season with 30 or more wins, the longest active streak in the nation. The Cougars are 32-4 and will face Purdue in the Sweet 16. Houston's 19 victories in conference play this year set a Big 12 record in the program's second year as a member of the conference.

The winner of the 2025 Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award will be announced on April 7, the same day as the NCAA tournament national championship game.