UM's Juwan Howard, Kim Barnes Arico in the mix for Naismith awards

Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are thriving, and both of its coaches are receiving recognition for it.

Juwan Howard and Kim Barnes Arico are among the 15 finalists named to the Naismith men’s and women’s coach of the year late-season watch lists.

Michigan is one of three schools, along with Ohio State and West Virginia, to have both basketball leaders in the running for the national award.

Howard and Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann, whose teams will meet in a top-five clash Sunday, were the only representatives from the Big Ten. Alabama’s Nate Oats, who coached at Romulus High, was the lone SEC coach to make the cut.

Barnes Arico was joined by conference colleagues Brenda Frese of Maryland and Kevin McGuff of Ohio State.

The men’s team (15-1) is ranked No. 3 in the nation and sits atop the Big Ten standings at 10-1, the program’s best conference start since 1976-77. The women’s team (12-2) is ranked No. 11 and is third in the Big Ten with a 7-2 mark after a program-best 10-0 start to the season.  

The other men’s coaching candidates are Belmont’s Casey Alexander, Drake’s Darian DeVries, Baylor Scott Drew, USC’s Andy Enfield, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton, West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, Oklahoma’s Lon Kruger, Loyola-Chicago’s Porter Moser, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Texas’ Shaka Smart and Virginia Tech’s Mike Young.

The other women’s candidates are Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Arizona’s Adia Barnes, Texas A&M’s Gary Blair, West Virginia’s Mike Carey, UCLA’s Cori Close, USF’s Jose Fernandez, Tennessee’s Kellie Harper, South Dakota State’s Aaron Johnston, North Carolina State’s Wes Moore, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer and Louisville’s Jeff Walz.