Two Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball head coaches have landed a spot on the 20-member 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Preseason Watch List, presented by Her Hoop Stats.
 
For the second-straight year, Belmont’s Bart Brooks is making an appearance on the preseason award watch list while Drake’s Allison Pohlman is making her first-career appearance on the list.
 
Brooks is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Belmont women’s basketball program in 2024-25. During his tenure, the Bruins have made one WBIT appearance, one WNIT appearance and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Round of 32. Since Belmont joined the league ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Bruins have compiled a 49-21 overall record and 34-6 mark in Valley play with one Conference regular-season title.
 
A longtime member of the Drake women’s basketball coaching staff, Pohlman is entering her fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs program in 2024-25. In her tenure, Drake has compiled a 71-30 overall record and 42-16 ledger during league play. Under the direction of Pohlman, the Bulldogs have made two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a postseason run in the WNIT. Drake has earned one MVC regular-season title and a pair of tournament titles with Pohlman at the helm.
 
Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier was named the award’s inaugural winner in 2024.
 
To be eligible for the award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be
“mid-major.” The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this
award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, Oregon State
and Washington State are ineligible this year as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves.
Interim head coaches are eligible, although total games coached will be taken into consideration.
 
The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the
award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches
will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success,
other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also
be weighed when assessing each candidate. Inclusion on previous watch lists is not a
requirement to be considered for future watch lists.