THE CLARENCE "BIG HOUSE" GAINES AWARD

St. Edward's Andre Cook is the recipient of the 2019 Clarence Gaines award, which is presented annually to the top Division II coach in America.

April 8, 2019

THE 2019 AWARD

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Andre Cook of St. Edward’s is the 2018-19 recipient of the Clarence Gaines Award, presented annually to the top Division II college basketball coach and named in honor of the legendary former Winston Salem State head coach.

Cook led St. Edward’s to a school-record 30 victories this season and the program’s first appearance in a Division II regional final. The Hilltoppers won the Heartland Conference with a 14-2 record.

Cook has won 165 games in nine seasons at St. Edward’s, leading the program to five consecutive winning campaigns.

One of the true legends of all-time, 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 greats Cleo Hill (first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961) and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. 

CLARENCE GAINES AWARD FINALISTS