Glenn Box and Travis Steele were both recognized this week as the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for their respective sports.

But the awards – and the coaches – are about more than the Xs and Os when it comes to basketball.

Box, the MAC’s Coach of the Year for women’s basketball, has guided the RedHawks to the most wins in program history. Steele, the counterpart for men’s basketball, led Miami to an undefeated regular season and as high as No. 19 in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. Both teams went into this week’s MAC tournaments in Cleveland as No. 1 seeds.

“These awards are always great in the sense that they reward the coach for all the work they do, because I know how hard they work,” David Sayler, Miami’s director of Athletics, said. “But it’s also a testament to the student-athletes and how talented they are, how hard working they are. And the great staffs they have, the assistant coaches.”

Miami’s women’s basketball team opened play in Cleveland with a 65-58 victory over Kent State. The RedHawks fell 87-83 to the University of Massachusetts in the quarterfinal round of the men’s tournament.

Both teams were regular-season conference champions and set new program records for wins. With that came the pressure of leading the pack.

“It’s not always easy when you’re in first place all year and everyone’s coming at you,” Sayler said. “Both of our coaches have really led with class and just never flinch. That whole unflappable approach really applies to both of our coaches, and I’m super proud of them.”

Box is in his third season leading the RedHawks, who face Ohio University at 10 a.m. Friday in the semifinal round. Top-seeded Miami won its first MAC regular-season championship in women’s basketball since the 2003-2004 season.

Amber Tretter was an All-MAC First Team selection for the women, while Ilse de Vries and Tamar Singer were All-MAC Third Team. Both were also picked for the MAC All-Defensive Team.

Winning Coach of the Year honors speaks to the strength of the program, Box said.

“It’s just an example of our success, our overall success,” he said.

It’s also indicative of the health of Miami’s athletic department.

Sayler called the current roster of RedHawk coaches “the best group we’ve ever had.” Box praised Sayler for his ability to identify talent.

“It probably should be studied,” Box said. “He has so many great coaches in his arsenal.”

Steele, in his fourth season with the RedHawks, is a prime example. Earlier this week, he was named Coach of the Year by the Field of 68. He also was selected as a finalist by Collegeinsider.com for both the Jim Phelan Award and the Hugh Durham Award, coaching accolades presented to the top Division I head coach and top mid-major head coach, respectively.

Miami’s Peter Suder earned the conference’s Player of the Year honor, as well as All-MAC First Team accolades. Eian Elmer was All-MAC Second Team, while Luke Skaljac and Antwone Woolfolk were All-MAC Honorable Mention.

“It’s been a lot of fun. I love our guys. Win, lose, or draw, I love our guys,” Steele said. “I knew we’d have a chance to be really good last spring. I thought it was the best spring I’d ever been around in college basketball.

“I think our guys, they enjoy the process. A lot of people don’t like getting on that treadmill at 6 a.m. on Friday mornings, but our guys have leaned into it. They enjoy it. They know what it takes. You’ve got to embrace the process in order to get the results that we want.”

Sayler said he’s looking for coaches who can act as a CEO type at the helm of their programs.

“Finding coaches who really have the bigger picture in mind, how to delegate things and manage, that’s what I was looking for,” Sayler said. “I’m super, super happy with the coaches we have.”

Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.