Basnight was chosen from thousands of nominations and the top 50 are now listed at TheMostValuableCoach.com. 

At the end of the program, the winning coach will receive a $50,000 donation to the charitable organization of their choosing or their high school athletic department, a trip to Orlando,and on-field recognition at the Under Armour High School All-America Game.

Other eastern North Carolina coaches in the Top 50 include, Juan Jackson from Nash Central High School in Nashville and Jeff Craddock from Tarboro High School.

U.S. Cellular’s Most Valuable Coach program honors high school coaches who lead by example, strengthen their teams and give back to their communities. The public can vote for their favorite coach among the Top 50 nominees between now and 11:59 a.m. CT on Oct. 9.

The 15 coaches earning the most votes will advance to the final round of voting.

U.S. Cellular will award each Final 15 coach’s school with $5,000, host a local celebratory event and create a short video that shares the coach’s story on the coaching website.

“We are truly inspired by the incredible stories that were shared throughout the nomination phase of the Most Valuable Coach program,” said Jeremy Taylor, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in eastern North Carolina. “Each of the Top 50 coaches deserves to be recognized for their contributions to not only their team, but their community. These individuals go beyond the game and lead by example. We encourage everyone in Halifax County to vote for their favorite coach.”

Along with the online public voting, a panel of judges including Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee,Kurt Warner, will help to determine the Most Valuable Coach based on leadership qualities and the positive impact they have had on their community, school and players.

The winning coach will be announced at noon CT on Nov. 20.