KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Monday announced the recipients of the 2025 NABC NAIA Coach and Player of the Year awards, along with the NABC NAIA All-America Team. College of Idaho head coach Colby Blaine was named the 2025 NABC NAIA Coach of the Year, and junior point guard Samaje Morgan was selected to the NABC NAIA All-America Team.
College of Idaho head coach Colby Blaine was named the 2025 NABC NAIA Coach of the Year after guiding the Yotes to their second national championship in three seasons. Under Blaine's leadership, College of Idaho posted a 35-2 overall record, including a dominant 21-1 mark in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.
The Yotes showcased their dominance throughout the NAIA Tournament, winning all six games by a total margin of 477-357, an average of 20 points per game. The team capped off its championship run with a resounding 93-65 victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan in the national title game.
Blaine boasts an impressive 205-30 overall record in seven seasons with the Yotes. In the 2018-19 season, College of Idaho reached the Fab Four, and the following year, the team earned the No. 1 seed before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. When the tournament resumed in 2021-22, the Yotes built a dominant resume over the next four years: reaching the Elite Eight, winning a national championship, making another Fab Four appearance, and securing another national title.
Blaine holds a perfect 2-0 record in national championship games, while the College of Idaho program remains undefeated at 3-0 overall in title games.
Junior point guard Samaje Morgan was named to the NABC NAIA All-America Team after orchestrating the Yotes' offense throughout the season and tournament. This marks Morgan's second national championship with College of Idaho, though he was only a freshman during the first title run. Since joining the program, he has compiled an astonishing 104-6 overall record.
Morgan earned the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player award for his standout performance in the tournament, where he averaged 17 points, 5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. During the regular season, he posted averages of 12 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His tournament efforts were capped by an electrifying 28-point performance in the national championship game. Morgan proved himself unstoppable—if defenders backed off, he would punish them with deep-range shooting, and if they played too tight, he would blow past them with his speed and agility, keeping opponents on their heels throughout the tournament.
This marks the second time Blaine has earned NABC Coach of the Year honors, having previously won the award following College of Idaho's 2023 championship season. This is Morgan's first time earning this NABC honor.
