Geno Auriemma was named the WBCA Coach of the Year, the fifth time he has earned the honor including the second in a row.

The final balloting stage for the Naismith Coach and Player of the Year began today. Auriemma is one of the four finalists while Maya Moore and Renee Montgomery are two of the four finalists for player of the year honors.

Here are some highlights of the release from the WBCA

ATLANTA – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has selected Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma as the 2009 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Coach of the Year. This year marks the 27th year that this accolade has been presented, which has been selected by the WBCA since 1983.

This is Auriemma’s (fifth) RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year honor as he received the award in (1997, 2000) 2002 and again last season. He is the only Division I head coach that has collected the award back-to-back years.

“On behalf of the WBCA, I would like to congratulate Geno Auriemma for an outstanding job this season, and we would like to honor your efforts with this award,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “He is among the elite in the coaching profession and very deserving of this award.”

Auriemma, current WBCA Vice President, recently received his eighth BIG EAST Coach of the Year honor after leading his top-ranked Huskies to a 30-0 ledger; the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I. It marked the fifth time Auriemma coached his team to an undefeated record regular season play. This season UConn captured its 17th overall regular season title and 15th overall BIG EAST Tournament crown, marking the 13th time Auriemma has led his squad to both titles in the same season.

In 24 years in Storrs, Auriemma boasts an 85 percent winning percentage, the nation’s best, with a career ledger of 691-122. The Huskies, who have claimed three of the last seven NCAA titles (a total of five in the program’s history), their last coming in 2004, are making their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and boast a 65-15 (.813) mark all-time in NCAA play. The Huskies, who have been ranked No. 1 in both national polls the entire season, received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, marking the second consecutive and the 15th in the program’s history.

Connecticut has advanced to the Final Four nine times in the program’s history, including six of the last nine seasons overall. The Huskies have advanced to the regional round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 15 seasons. During nine of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments (since 1994), the Huskies have either won the national championship or have lost to the eventual national champion.