RALEIGH -- St. Augustine's College basketball coach Lonnie Blow Jr. was chosen the Division II men's coach of the year on Wednesday by the Heritage Sports Radio Network.
The second-year coach led the Falcons to their best season in program history, as they finished with a 27-5 record and reached the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in 13 seasons.
"A lot of the credit goes to the players," Blow said. "They bought into what we were trying to do all year long. Credit also goes to my assistant coaches [MarQus Johnson and Tellis J. Frank, Jr.]. This was a special season."
Blow, who was the 2010 CIAA coach of the year, led the way as the Falcons won the conference tournament for the first time since 1997.
He has a 46-15 record at the school.
The Falcons closed the season with the program's best winning percentage since the NCAA began compiling the school's statistics in 1975. They were ranked third in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region and 23rd nationally in the NABC coaches poll.
"It's a blessing to be recognized conference-wise and now nationally," Blow said in a statement. "Getting coach of the year honors, in addition to the team being nationally ranked, really puts the program on the national scene."
The Heritage Sports Radio Network broadcasts games through radio, satellite radio and Internet webcasts that focus on historically black colleges and universities.
