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JOHNSTON RECOGNIZED ON MIDSEASON COACH OF THE YEAR LIST
1/28/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOPEWELL, N.J. - South Dakota State head basketball coach Aaron Johnston was named to the midseason watch list for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.Â
The award, named after the legendary former Harvard head coach, honors the most outstanding mid-major women's basketball head coach in the country. This year's watch list includes coaches from six conferences.
Johnston has guided the Jackrabbits to a 16-5 overall record in 2025-26 with notable wins over Kansas State, Gonzaga and Ball State. The Jackrabbits are rated fourth in the latest mid-major poll and have a 6-1 record in Summit League action. SDSU leads the conference in scoring offense and defense through seven conference games. Under Johnston's guidance, Brooklyn Meyer is one of the top scorers in the nation with 21.5 points per game and a .622 field goal percentage.Â
The 20-person preseason watch list was announced in October. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four.
About Kathy Delaney-Smith
Delaney-Smith's Harvard teams compiled a record of 630-434 (.592) in her 40-year career, including a 367-168 (.685) record in Ivy League play. Delaney-Smith's 630 wins rank 32nd in Division I history.
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached nine Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and the first 22 of Harvard's 1,000-point scorers in the program's NCAA Division I history.
Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
A native of Newton, Mass., Delaney-Smith is also among the most accomplished high school players and coaches in the state's history. She was the first woman in state history to score 1,000 points while at Sacred Heart High School. As a high school coach, Delaney-Smith coached Westwood High School to an overall record of 204-31 across 11 seasons, including a 96-game winning streak.
-GoJacks.com-
The award, named after the legendary former Harvard head coach, honors the most outstanding mid-major women's basketball head coach in the country. This year's watch list includes coaches from six conferences.
Johnston has guided the Jackrabbits to a 16-5 overall record in 2025-26 with notable wins over Kansas State, Gonzaga and Ball State. The Jackrabbits are rated fourth in the latest mid-major poll and have a 6-1 record in Summit League action. SDSU leads the conference in scoring offense and defense through seven conference games. Under Johnston's guidance, Brooklyn Meyer is one of the top scorers in the nation with 21.5 points per game and a .622 field goal percentage.Â
The 20-person preseason watch list was announced in October. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four.
About Kathy Delaney-Smith
Delaney-Smith's Harvard teams compiled a record of 630-434 (.592) in her 40-year career, including a 367-168 (.685) record in Ivy League play. Delaney-Smith's 630 wins rank 32nd in Division I history.
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached nine Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and the first 22 of Harvard's 1,000-point scorers in the program's NCAA Division I history.
Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
A native of Newton, Mass., Delaney-Smith is also among the most accomplished high school players and coaches in the state's history. She was the first woman in state history to score 1,000 points while at Sacred Heart High School. As a high school coach, Delaney-Smith coached Westwood High School to an overall record of 204-31 across 11 seasons, including a 96-game winning streak.
-GoJacks.com-
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