Football | 1/5/2026 4:50:00 PM
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State men's basketball assistant coach Leonard Fairley has been named to the 2025 Silver Waves Media Rising Stars Mid-Major Assistant Coaches and GMs List, recognizing top emerging talent in collegiate basketball.
Fairley has been a member of the Spartan men's basketball program for eight seasons, including his time as a student manager during his undergraduate years, before transitioning into a coaching role.
During his tenure on the coaching staff, Norfolk State has compiled a 155–88 overall record and a 77–23 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play, capturing five regular-season championships and three MEAC Tournament titles.
Under Fairley's mentorship, 23 Spartans have earned MEAC postseason honors, including three MEAC Players of the Year, two MEAC Newcomers of the Year, and one MEAC Sixth Player of the Year award.
Fairley is one of more than 100 coaches recognized from 83 institutions nationwide and becomes the first Norfolk State men's basketball coach to earn Rising Star honors from Silver Waves Media.
After the committee consulted with a panel of industry professionals, here are their 2026 selections:
| Coach |
School |
| Jackie Manuel |
American |
| Tim Johnson |
App State |
| Jarren Dyson |
Army |
| Brandon Barnes |
Bakersfield |
| Lexus Williams |
Boise State |
| Al Paul |
Boston U |
| Hamlet Tibbs |
Buffalo |
| Hardy Esprilla |
Cal Baptist |
| Tim Shelton |
Colorado State |
| Matt Elkin |
Columbia |
| Nat Graham |
Cornell |
| CJ Killin |
CSUN |
| Will Reigel |
Davidson |
| James Kane |
Dayton |
| Chase Goldstein |
Duquesne |
| Ryan Lundgren |
Eastern Washington |
| Courntey Eldridge |
Elon |
| Jordan Fee |
FAU |
| Ray Barefield |
Fresno State |
| Steve Curran |
George Mason |
| Dwayne Lee |
George Washington |
| Brian Michaelson |
Gonzaga |
| RJay Barsh |
Gonzaga |
| Steven Gentry |
Gonzaga |
| Zack Norvell Jr. |
Gonzaga |
| Matt Lottich |
Grand Canyon |
| Matt Colpoys |
GWU |
| Kyron Cartright |
Hampton |
| Mike Sotsky |
Harvard |
| Mike DePaoli |
Hofstra |
| Brandon Laird |
Idaho |
| Joe White |
Idaho State |
| Byron Jones |
Indiana State |
| Kris Saulny |
Iona |
| Patrick Wallace |
Iona |
| Jon Fleming |
Kent State |
| Manny Adako |
Lehigh |
| Jamere Dismukes |
LIU |
| Anthony Doran |
Manhattan |
| Dalip Bhatia |
Marist |
| Reed Ridder |
Mercer |
| Jonathan Holmes |
Miami (OH) |
| Jake Williams |
Milwaukee |
| Chris Cobb |
Montana |
| Brendan Mullins |
Murray State |
| Cullen Neal |
Murray State |
| Craig Neal |
Nevada |
| Jarod Lucas |
Nevada |
| Lo Leath |
Nevada |
| Michael Wilder |
New Mexico |
| Mike Roberts |
New Mexico |
| Sam Stapleton |
New Mexico |
| Tom Tankelewicz |
New Mexico |
| Preston Laird |
New Mexico State |
| Leonard Fairley |
Norfolk State |
| Drew Gladstone |
Northern Illinois |
| Kory Alford |
Oral Roberts |
| Brandon Cole |
Pacific |
| Josh Calbert |
Pepperdine |
| Ryan Hiepler |
Pepperdine |
| Caden Hoffman |
Portland State |
| Shaun Morris |
Quinnipiac |
| Dan Sheets |
Saint Marys |
| Ryan Devlin |
San Diego |
| Dave Velasquez |
San Diego State |
| Jaydee Luster |
San Diego State |
| Ryan Badrtalei |
San Diego State |
| Frankie Ferrari |
San Francisco |
| Jay Duncan |
San Francisco |
| Mike Plank |
San Francisco |
| Jason Ludwig |
Santa Clara |
| Bryce Douglas |
Seattle |
| Steve Shpreyregin |
Seattle |
| Ben Lee |
Siena |
| Riley Conroy |
South Alabama |
| Riley Conroy |
South Alabama |
| Tee Butters |
South Florida |
| Zak Boisvert |
St Louis |
| Mickey Mcconell |
St Marys |
| Adrian Wojnarowski |
St. Bonaventure |
| Chris Lowe |
St. Bonaventure |
| Brett Putz |
St. Louis |
| Joe Rahon |
St. Marys |
| Bobby Jordan |
Temple |
| Ricardo Rush |
Tennessee Chatanooga |
| Andrew Galfsky |
Tennessee Chattanooga |
| Jonathan Bell |
Texas AM Corpus Christi |
| Ralph Davis |
Texas AM Corpus Christi |
| Pat O'Connell |
Towson |
| Yaphett King |
Tulsa |
| Rob Williams |
UAB |
| Kyle Vogt |
UC Davis |
| Julius Smith |
UC Irvine |
| Nick Booker |
UC Irvine |
| Reuben Williams |
UC Riverside |
| Brandon Cyrus |
UCSB |
| Brian Eskilden |
UCSB |
| Derek Glasser |
UCSB |
| Skye Etin |
UCSD |
| Matt Figger |
UMass |
| Justin Hawkins |
UNLV |
| Scott Garson |
UNLV |
| Ben Asher |
Utah State |
| Eric Haut |
Utah State |
| Hunter Jenkins |
UTEP |
| Ryan Daly |
VCU |
| Xavier Silas |
VMI |
| Pedro Garcia |
Washington State |
| Manny Dosanjh |
Western Michigan |
| Nick Whitmore |
Wyoming |
| Matt Kingsley |
Yale |