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CNU's Krikorian named National Coach of the Year by NABC

John Krikorian led the Captains to their first NCAA Championship by beating Mount Union over the weekend in the title game in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Christopher Newport University Men's Basketball Coach John Krikorian was named the National Coach of the Year Tuesday by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches).

 Krikorian led the Captains to their first NCAA Championship by beating Mount Union on Saturday, 74-72, in the title game in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Christopher Newport finished the year with a 30-3 overall record, and Krikorian has now compiled a coaching mark of 290-65 in 12 seasons on the CNU bench for a winning percentage of .817. 

He has guided the Captains to the last seven NCAA Tournaments, and to nine in a dozen seasons at the helm.

"This is a tremendous honor, and I share it with my staff, our student-athletes and our entire Captains community," Krikorian said. 

"This season we grew as a program and enjoyed some amazing victories and some magical moments. This past weekend in Fort Wayne will long be remembered by everyone who was there, and everyone who follows CNU basketball."

This is the first time Krikorian has been named National Coach of the Year by the NABC. He was previously honored as the National Coach of the Year following the 2015-16 season, when he was named the Glenn Robinson DIII Coach of the Year after leading the Captains to their first-ever NCAA semifinal in Salem, Virginia.

Krikorian's overall coaching record, including four seasons leading the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, is now 355-107 (.768). He has led the Captains to a record of 109-16 (.872) over the last four seasons, which now include a National Championship, a Final Four, an Elite Eight, and a Sweet 16 appearance.

The trip to the National Semifinals this season was the third in Krikorian's tenure. The Captains are the only school in the country to win at least one game in the last seven NCAA tourneys, and Krikorian's record at CNU in NCAA Tournament games is now 23-7 (.767).

The leader of the Captains was named the D3hoops.com Region Coach of the Year last week, an honor he had also won in 2019. He has previously been named the NABC's District Coach of the Year twice, in 2016 and 2017.

 Krikorian's honors also include All-Virginia Division II-III Coach of the Year four times from 2016-2019, and he has been voted Conference Coach of the Year seven times during his tenure.

Krikorian, a native of Auburn, Massachusetts, is just the fourth men's basketball coach in the program's 55-year history. He took over the Captains from C.J. Woollum, who guided CNU for 26 years and won 502 career games.

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