BOSTON, MA -- The finalists for the 2016 Ben Jobe award were announced on Wednesday. The 2016 recipient will be announced on Monday April 4 in Houston, site of the men's NCAA division I men's basketball championship.

CSU Bakersfield head coach Rod Barnes is one of 21 finalists for the award after leading the Roadrunners to their Division I best 24-9 record, a WAC Tournament Championship and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Roadrunners were defeated in the first round by Final Four participant Oklahoma 82-68.

Barnes was named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for his efforts this season which included leading CSUB to the nation's 10th-best turnaround from a year ago. Barnes was also a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award in 2012 following his first season with the Roadrunners.

The Ben Jobe Award is presented annually to the top minority coach in division I men's basketball. An icon in the history of basketball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Jobe is best known as the head coach of the Southern University, a position he held for 12 seasons.

His record at Southern was 209-141 and included four NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Jaguars to one NIT appearance, five SIAC championships, 11 SWAC titles and two NAIA Tournament Championships. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a coach was Southern's 93-78 win over Georgia Tech in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. It stands as one of the great upsets in the history of the event.

2016 BEN JOBE AWARD FINALISTS

Roman Banks, Southern

Rod Barnes, CSU Bakersfield

Wayne Brent, Jackson State

Ed Cooley, Providence

Mike Davis, Texas Southern

Dana Ford, Tennessee State

Murray Garvin, South Carolina State

Avery Johnson, Alabama

James Jones, Yale

Robert Jones, Norfolk State

Edward Joyner, Jr. Hampton

Kevin Keatts, UNCW

Bashir Mason, Wagner

Mark Montgomery, Northern Illinois

King Rice, Monmouth

Montez Robinson, Alcorn State

Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Shaka Smart, Texas

Tubby Smith, Texas Tech

Rodney Terry, Fresno State

Willis Wilson, Texas A&M Corpus Christi