Mike MacDonald Named 2026 Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award Winner

 

Fort Myers, FL – Small College Basketball proudly announces Mike MacDonald as the recipient of the 2026 Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award. Now in its seventh year, the prestigious honor continues to recognize coaches who make a meaningful difference both on and off the court. Legendary coach Harry Statham shared the following on MacDonald:

 

“I’m proud to select Mike MacDonald as the next recipient of the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award,” stated Statham. “He is a man of honesty, integrity,  and great character.  He genuinely cares for his players, both present & past.  He’s a remarkable family man and highly regarded member of his community.”

 

MacDonald just completed his 29th year as a Head Coach and 12th year at Daemen College. During his extraordinary career, MacDonald has compiled a record of 522-312 that has included a conference record of 322-177. In the last two seasons, Daemen posted a record of 61-3, going undefeated in conference play. The 61 wins are the fourth-most in the NCAA at any level and the win percentage of .968 is second only to Nova Southeastern. Daemen advanced to the Elite Eight this past season and collected back-to-back ECC Tournament Championships. The Wildcats had ECC Players of the Year in both seasons (Zach Philiposki and Benjamin Bill). MacDonald was named the Division II Coach of the Year in 2024-25 and ECC Coach of the Year both of the last two seasons. MacDonald had this to say about being named the 2026 Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award Winner:

 

"It is truly an honor to be named the Harry Statham Coach of Impact award winner for this year,” stated MacDonald. “Coach Statham is a legend and any award named after him is truly special! I want to thank John McCarthy and the Committee at Small College Basketball for this prestigious award. It's funny but the award says Coach of Impact, but the people who had the biggest impact on me are the players and coaches I was lucky enough to work with through the years! To them I say, "thank you!"

 

MacDonald earned his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Bonaventure University, before earning a Master’s Degree from Canisius University. MacDonald started his coaching career at Canisius College. He worked under Marty Marback and John Beilein. As the top assistant to Beilein, MacDonald helped lead Canisius to the 1996 NCAA Tournament and two National Invitational Tournament appearances. In 1997 MacDonald took over as the head coach. MacDonald spent nine years at the helm of the Canisius program, leading the Golden Griffens to 108 wins. MacDonald was named the 2000-01 BCANY Division 1 Co-Coach of the Year.

 

In 2006, MacDonald took over as the head coach of Medaille. In his eight years, MacDonald turned the Mavericks into a regional contender. Taking over a program that only saw four wins in the previous two years, MacDonald averaged 18 wins per season during his time and advanced to the postseason six times. Over the final five seasons, MacDonald led the Mavericks to 101 victories and was named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions. At the time of his departure, MacDonald left as the school’s all-time wins leader (149) and winning percentage (.671). Traci Murphy, Vice President of Athletics at Daemen had this to say about MacDonald:

 

"It is truly difficult to articulate the depth of the impact Mike MacDonald has made on our program and the Western New York Community,” shared Murphy. “While his 500th win and national rankings speak to his technical brilliance, this Coach of Impact award speaks to his heart.  Mike invests in people -- his players, his staff and our fans -- with a sincerity that is rare.  He doesn't just coach a team; he builds a family.  Mike embodies the values we strive to instill in every student-athlete at Daemen.”

 

MacDonald took over at Daemen in 2014. During his tenure with the Wildcats, MacDonald collected 265 wins, winning 75 percent of his games. He led the Wildcats to three East Coast Conference regular season championships and two ECC tournament championships. MacDonald’s teams earned six NCAA tournament berths and two NCAA Division II East Regional Championships. The Wildcats finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 33-2 record. The Wildcat’s only two losses came at the hands of Gannon and Lander, who will be competing for the NCAA Division II National Championship.

 

MacDonalds arguably greatest impact has been seen and felt through his basketball camps. A consistent throughout his career and most recently through the MacDonald Basketball Academy, MacDonald has exposed countless youths to the game of basketball. During a typical summer camp, more than 300 kids pack into Daemen’s Lumsden Gymnasium. MacDonald’s camps do not just take place during the summer, he has camps and clinics throughout the fall weekends. Camps go by the name of Little Dribblers, Middle Dribblers, and Sunday School.

 

MacDonald has consistently demonstrated an ability to give back to his community. Game Changers, a program he developed alongside Buffalo’s longtime Mayor Byron Brown and the local Drug Enforcement Agency Office, uses basketball as a means to provide academic and athletic opportunities in underserved communities. In 2020, MacDonald received the Jim Satalin Inspiration Award from the American Cancer Society of Western New York in recognition of his dedication and work on behalf of the Coaches vs. Cancer program.

 

MacDonald’s coaching philosophy is one that is rooted in relationship building, aiming to be transformational rather than transactional. In MacDonald’s eyes the relationship between coach and player is like the relationship between parent and child in that it does not end. Even when players graduate, MacDonald continues to be a mentor, friend, and resource for them years after, no matter what the circumstance is. His reunions with players are often set against joyous occasions, weddings and alumni functions.

 

The annual winner of the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award must have coached at the small college level for a majority of his career, and must have a high degree of personal character and integrity. The Coach may be a current or former Coach, and Small College Basketball will honor a living Coach with this award annually. In 2019 Bob Burchard, former Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Columbia (MO), was named the inaugural award winner. Concordia’s Ken Ammann was named as the winner in 2020, and there was no winner in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Steve Ridder of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical was named the winner in 2022. In 2023, Steven Jenkins of Evangel University received the award. After the 2024 season, Dave Holmquist of Biola was the recipient of the award. Last season, Greg Tonagel of Indiana Wesleyan received the award.

 

The award is named after Harry Statham, former Head Basketball Coach at McKendree University. Coach Statham is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Basketball Hall of Fame. Upon the conclusion of his 52-year career at McKendree, Coach Statham’s 1,122 wins were the most by any men’s or women’s coach at a four-year college or university in the United States The only other coaches at a four-year institution with 1,000 wins are Pat Summitt, Danny Miles, Mike Krzyzewski, Herb Magee, Dave Holmquist, Tara VanDerveer, Geno Auriemma and Sylvia Hatchell.

 

Coach MacDonald will receive his award at the National Awards Show April 26h in Kansas City, MO. To nominate a candidate for the award, please send detailed information about the coach, along with examples of how the Coach has impacted the lives of others, to harrystathamaward@gmail.com.

 

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