Howard men's basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney continued earning recognition for the success of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season champions this season, being named a finalist for three national awards.

The fourth-year coach is a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, Hugh Durham Award and Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year through CollegeInsider.com. Blakeney was also named the 2023 MEAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year and named to the Advancement Of Blacks In Sports (ABIS) men's basketball coaching watch list.

Blakeney earned his first MEAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Bison to their first outright MEAC regular-season title since 1986-87, going 11-3 in conference play and 19-12 overall. Among Howard's notable non-conference wins in 2022-23 are Buffalo, Austin Peay, FIU, Harvard and Mount St. Mary's. Blakeney is the first Howard coach to be named Coach of the Year since Alfred Beard in 1991-92.

The Jim Phelan Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I coach. The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top Division I minority coach. The Hugh Durham Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball, is named after a coach who built winning programs at three different universities.

Blakeney brings a wealth of experience and a winning pedigree to Howard. He has coached at seven Division I universities over a 12-year span. He has been associated with winning as a player, coach, and business entrepreneur.

Raised in Washington, D.C., Blakeney played for Hall of Fame Coach Morgan Wooten, the winningest high school coach in history. Following his stellar scholastic career, Blakeney headed to Durham, N.C., to play for the Duke Blue Devils under the direction of Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. During his Duke career, the Blue Devils compiled a record of 99-34 which included winning two national championships.