NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State head men’s basketball coach Robert Jones was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall award, as announced by CollegeInsider.com this week.

Jones is one of 10 coaches nationally up for the award, which is given by the organization to an outstanding first-year Division I head coach.

The other nine finalists include Mike Brennan (American), Tim Craft (Gardner-Webb), Pat Duquette (UMass-Lowell), Bobby Hurley (Buffalo),  Dan Majerle (Grand Canyon), Nicholas McDevitt (UNC Asheville), Craig Neal (New Mexico), Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin) and Will Wade (Chattanoonga).

Jones led NSU to a 19-15 overall record this season and the program’s third straight postseason appearance when the Spartans played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. It marked the third-most wins as well as just the third postseason appearance in the school’s D-I era. The Spartans also finished 11-5 and tied for third in the MEAC, the seventh time in the last eight years the program has finished fourth or better in the conference standings.

Jones was an assistant coach at NSU for six years until being elevated to the interim head coaching position last April. He accepted an offer in February to become the permanent head coach at Norfolk State.

This year’s Joe B. Hall award winner will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet in Dallas on April 4, the day before the start of the Final Four.

The award is named in the honor of Joe B. Hall, who was given the task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp. In his first season at Kentucky, Hall finished 20-8, won the SEC and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals.