NATCHITOCHES –Northwestern State men's basketball head coach Corey Gipson's first season as a head coach has brought the Demons a 21-win campaign and their first true road win against an Associated Press Top 25 team.
 
Gipson's and his team's performances were recognized Monday afternoon as NSU's first-year head coach was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top Division I minority coach.
 
The award's namesake coached 12 seasons at Southern, leading the Jaguars to 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Jobe coached 15^th-seeded Southern to a 93-78 upset of No. 2 Georgia Tech that stands as one of the tournament's most stunning upsets. Prior to his time at Southern, Jobe also coached at Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Talladega College, Tuskegee and South Carolina State.
 
In his first season at Northwestern State, Gipson has led the Demons to a 12- win improvement and the No. 2 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament. NSU begins play in the event Tuesday night at 8 against either No. 7 seed New Orleans or No. 3 seed Southeastern.
 
Gipson became the first head coach to lead the Demons to a 20-win season in his first year as a head coach in NSU's Division I era. The Demons' 64-63 win at then-No. 15 TCU on Nov. 14 was NSU's first victory against an AP Top 25 since the March 17, 2006, win against Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Northwestern State's 21 wins are its most in a season since 2012-13 while the Demons' nine-game win streak from Jan. 19-Feb. 16 was the longest since a 10-game run in 2012-13. The Demons' 13 Southland Conference wins are its most since the 2014-15 season.
 
The Demons had the 2022-23 Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, DeMarcus Sharp, and set a school record for made 3-pointers with 265. The Demons also led the Southland Conference in scoring defense for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
 
2022-23 Ben Jobe Award finalists
Amir Abdur-Rahim, Kennesaw State
Kevin Baggett, Rider
Kenneth Blakeney, Howard
Landon Bussie, Alcorn State
Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh
Speedy Claxton, Hofstra
Ed Cooley, Providence
Jason Crafton, UMES
Dennis Gates, Missouri
Corey Gipson, Northwestern State
Anfernee Hardaway, Memphis
Donte' Jackson, Grambling
 James Jones, Yale
Mike Jones, UNCG
Robert Jones, Norfolk State
Ritchie McKay, Liberty
LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central
Daniyal Robinson, Cleveland State
Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Takayo Siddle, UNCW
Shaka Smart, Marquette
Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt
Jerome Tang, Kansas State
Rodney Terry, Texas
Mike Woodson Indiana