CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina head coach Justin Gray has been named a finalist for the 2025–26 Hugh Durham Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.

The Hugh Durham Award is named in honor of the former Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville head coach. Durham led Florida State and Georgia to a combined eight NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Fours and is one of just 17 coaches to take multiple programs to the Final Four.

Gray, who is in his second year at the helm of the CCU program, is the only Sun Belt Conference (SBC) coach on the finalist list. Earlier this week, he was also named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top minority head coach.

Under his direction, the Chanticleers set program records for Sun Belt wins (11) and Sun Belt road wins (7) and tied the school record for total road victories (10). Coastal also recorded its highest Sun Belt finish, tying for second place. The Chanticleers secured their first winning season in four years and their most regular-season victories in 11 years.

The recipient of the award is determined by a 10-member voting committee consisting of current and former head coaches, along with two senior staff members from CollegeInsider.com. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, the site of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Coaches from teams in the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Coastal Athletic, Conference USA, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun Belt, WAC and West Coast.