KANSAS CITY, Mo. – University of South Alabama men's basketball director of operations Mikel Kosich has been selected to the 2020 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team which was announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Tuesday morning.

Kosich and the 29 other members of the list represents 30 of the most outstanding men's college basketball coaches under the age of 30. He is the second member of the Jaguar staff to receive national recognition recently as head coach Richie Riley was recognized by ESPN.com to be among the top young coaches across the country as he was included on the organization's "40 Under 40" list in May.

Kosich just completed his second season in his current role and third overall with the program. The Jaguars finished with a 20-11 overall mark during the 2019-20 campaign. The record marked the first time the program has recorded 20-wins since 2008-09. The Jags ended the regular season with eight straight victories – the team's longest win streak entering postseason play since the end of the 1979-80 season.  

USA also finished 13-7 in the Sun Belt Conference this past season, securing the second seed at the league tournament which was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic before the Jaguars could play a game in the event.

Prior to joining Riley's staff at South, the Highland Ranch, Colo., native spent three seasons as an assistant men's basketball coach for the NCAA Division III St. Mary's College of Maryland Seahawks. During his time at SMCM, Kosich helped develop two All-Capital Athletic Conference second team student-athletes (Tanner Brooks '16 and Delaszo Smith '16 & '17), while helping guide the Seahawks to a pair of Capital Athletic Conference Tournament bids, including a 2016 semifinals appearance.

Kosich also served as the team manager/student assistant for the Montana State-Billings men's basketball program during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, where he assisted the coaching staff with a variety of tasks.

During his two years with the Yellowjacket program, Kosich helped the team to a pair of winning records, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament championship in 2012, and an NCAA tournament bid. The Yellowjackets produced two All-GNAC First-Team student athletes (Antonie Proctor '12 and Jerrell Crayton '13) as well as four All-GNAC Honorable Mention student athletes (Jaxson Myaer '12, David Arnold '13, Omar McDade '13, and Kalob Hatcher '13) during those two seasons.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas.  Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game.  The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches.  All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes.  The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.  Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at nabc.com.

Photo provided by bradpuckettphotography.com

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