Coastal Carolina head coach Justin Gray was named a finalist Tuesday for the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority head coach in NCAA Division I basketball.

In his second season at the helm, Gray has led the Chanticleers to a 19-12 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), tying for second place and earning the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The win-loss record represents a nine-game improvement over the Chants' 10-22 finish last season in his first year in 2024-25. Coastal also won a program-record 11 SBC games and tied the school record with 10 true road wins. The Chants have won 10 of their last 14 league games after opening conference play at 1-3, earning a bye into the tournament quarterfinals.

Coastal Carolina opens the postseason Saturday, March 7, against an opponent to be determined at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee comprising current and former head coaches and two senior staff members of CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.

The Ben Jobe Award, named in honor of longtime Southern University coach Ben Jobe, has been presented annually by CollegeInsider.com since 2012. Jobe, who won more than 500 games during his collegiate coaching career, is regarded as one of the pioneers among minority coaches in Division I basketball.