Fairley named to Silver Waves Media Mid Major Coaches watch list

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