The award, administered and presented by CollegeInsider.com, is given to the top first-year head coach in NCAA Division I basketball. All finalists and their staffs will be invited to the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet in Dallas, site of this year's Final Four.

Craft enjoyed a strong first season as a college head coach in 2013-2014, directing the Runnin' Bulldogs to an 18-15 finish and a tie for second in the South Division of the Big South Conference. His win total was the highest for a first-year coach at Gardner-Webb since Jim Wiles won 24 games in 1978-1979 - and was the most by a Big South Conference rookie head coach since Gregg Marshall led Winthrop to 21 wins in 1998-1999.

Gardner-Webb has won more games over the past two seasons (39) than in any other two-year stretch since the program moved to NCAA Division I in 2000.

The Joe B. Hall Award is named in honor of the former Kentucky head coach who followed in the footsteps of legendary Adolph Rupp. Hall led the Wildcats to a 20-8 mark in his first season in charge of the program - and finished with a 297-100 mark from 1972-1985, along with the 1978 NCAA title.

Hall joined Bobby Knight and Dean Smith as the only men in NCAA Division I history to win a national title as both a player and head coach.

In addition to Craft, the other nine finalists are: Mike Brennan (American), Pat Duquette (UMass-Lowell), Bobby Hurley (Buffalo), Robert Jones (Norfolk State), Dan Majerle (Grand Canyon), Nick McDevitt (UNC Asheville), Craig Neal (New Mexico), Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin) and Will Wade (Chattanooga).

The awards' previous winners were LIU Brooklyn head coach Jack Perri (2013) and Murray State head coach Steve Prohm (2012).