Topic: John Brannen wants to coach again--Marshall mentioned

[cincymike]

Check out this article from Cincinnati.com:

Williams: John Brannen wants to coach again. Why ex-UC Bearcats leader deserves a chance

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/2024/03/05/former-cincinnati-bearcats-coach-john-brannen-eyes-return-to-mid-major-college-basketball-column/72842427007/

[chris88]

Behind firewall.

In general, I would love to see JB back at MU....unless there is someone better available.

[cincymike]

Here you go...........

Brannen is realistic about the type of job he could land. The former Northern Kentucky University coach is focused on breaking back in with a mid-major program, believing a position in the Horizon League, Mid-American Conference, Sun Belt or other similar-sized conferences would be a good fit for both sides.


Brannen declined to comment on any specific schools he may be interested in or potential job openings, but said he?s talked to search firms and mid-major conference commissioners.

Where could John Brannen coach next?

The timing could be right for Brannen, the former Horizon League Coach of the Year who led NKU to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019. Mid-major jobs could start opening this week as conference tournaments begin, including at Horizon League schools IUPUI and Detroit Mercy.

Another potential fit: Marshall University. Brannen played at Marshall, where he was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He?s also a member of the school?s athletic hall of fame. The Thundering Herd basketball program has been mostly sputtering since it went to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. Marshall has finished two of the last three regular seasons with only 12 wins.

[herdorbust2]

Here you go...........

Brannen is realistic about the type of job he could land. The former Northern Kentucky University coach is focused on breaking back in with a mid-major program, believing a position in the Horizon League, Mid-American Conference, Sun Belt or other similar-sized conferences would be a good fit for both sides.


Brannen declined to comment on any specific schools he may be interested in or potential job openings, but said he?s talked to search firms and mid-major conference commissioners.

Where could John Brannen coach next?

The timing could be right for Brannen, the former Horizon League Coach of the Year who led NKU to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019. Mid-major jobs could start opening this week as conference tournaments begin, including at Horizon League schools IUPUI and Detroit Mercy.

Another potential fit: Marshall University. Brannen played at Marshall, where he was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He?s also a member of the school?s athletic hall of fame. The Thundering Herd basketball program has been mostly sputtering since it went to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. Marshall has finished two of the last three regular seasons with only 12 wins.

Who is sputtering with only 12 wins 2 of last 3 seasons? Smith and Spears love the guy and even gave him an extension at 76 years old. Winner? We don't need no stinking winner. We are just having fun and eating peach pie baby!!!

[SuperAnjario]

Author is a Marshall guy. 

Brannen would be an awesome hire. 

[MicDrass1]

Our best model is hiring highly successful D2 HC

[Flat Tire 2]

Brannen certainly has experience as a college basketball coach with over 20 years experience. (Unlike hiring a coach like Dan who had no college experience and had to go through a OTJ education. We all know how that is turning out.)

He started out as an assistant at a D2 program Morris Harvey and progressed up the assistants coaching ladder by coaching at EKU; St Bonaventure and Bama. He was the interim coach at Bama and was 1-1. In four years at NKU he went from 9-21 to 26-9 and won two Horizon Championships and two trips to the Big Dance and one to the NIT with an overall record at NKU 81-51.

I think he has proved he can win at the mid major level. That is better than taking a chance on a D2 coach who may not be able to recruit at the D1 level. I still remember MU hiring a D2 National Champion coach (Bob Daniels) who destroyed MU basketball.

We could do a lot worse than Brannen. Dan needs to step aside and let Marshall begin to rebuild the  program. Dan needs to retire or be fired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brannen_(basketball)

[Garbanjo]

Brannen would be a good hire

Baller D2 coach would be a good hire

Go Herd!

[W0lfman]

I agree. Has a proven record of winning and he does deserve a second chance. AW Hamilton seems to be doing some solid things as well.

Article
https://bnnbreaking.com/sports/john-brannen-eyes-coaching-comeback-from-uc-settlement-to-seeking-mid-major-opportunities

[herdorbust2]

They would never hire a Brannen or a Gregg Marshall. Marshall never thinks outside the box and give people a second chance in coaching. And no to AW. He has been very average at EKU and just lost to the #10 seed in the ASUN tournament.

[MUonium]

the times, they are a changin, and i mean right now, baby!   not going to happen i'm afraid, but one can dream the dream.

i'll take anybody who can bring the program up a notch and reasonably sustain it.  fewer down years and those years not so drastic.
a coach and staff who are flexible, disciplined and have fun at the same time.  a coach and staff who's recruiting philosophy is flexible, bold and aggressive.

is that too much to ask?

[marshallmark]

Our best model is hiring highly successful D2 HC

Gotta be careful with that. 

[svherd]

Will he be available for the 26-27 season when we will be looking for a new coach, after our current coach retires following the 25-26 season?

[cincymike]

More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:



What John Brannen's been up to since Cincinnati firing

The University of Dayton hired Brannen for the 2022-23 season to be a senior special assistant and analyst. He and Dayton coach Anthony Grant are close, but it?s hard to believe UD would?ve hired Brannen if the school thought his presence would harm the program and athletic department.


Asked if he believes he?ll be a better coach, Brannen said: ?Without question. I made mistakes along the way in my career. I made mistakes at UC. I?ve learned from those. I?ve gotten better with the leadership piece. I understand the environment now more than ever.?

Mistakes?

?With UC specifically, I came in preaching a new culture and a different way of doing things,? Brannen said. ?And the guy I (followed) went to nine straight NCAA tournaments. The culture didn?t need to change. And then Covid changed a lot of things.?

Brannen left Dayton after last season, but he's continued to help Grant. Brannen, who still lives in Greater Cincinnati, wanted to spend the year attending all the volleyball and basketball games for his twin daughters, Jaylee and Katelyn, who are high school juniors.

Brannen also set a goal to do as many meetings as he could with coaches and business executives to learn their leadership styles. He spent time with Sean Miller at Xavier, Brad Painter at Purdue and Kelvin Sampson at Houston. Brannen visited his old Marshall coach, Billy Donovan, now head coach of the Chicago Bulls.


The college coaches helped Brannen to understand the ever-changing landscape in college athletics with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness money.

"In coaching, we don?t know what?s going on in other people?s programs because we have such tunnel vision for our own programs," Brannen said. "We don?t get the opportunity to learn and find out different ways of doing things. My perspective is much broader and greater now."[/b]

Contact Enquirer columnist Jason Williams by email at jwilliams@enquirer.com

[miltonherdfan]

They would never hire a Brannen or a Gregg Marshall. Marshall never thinks outside the box and give people a second chance in coaching. And no to AW. He has been very average at EKU and just lost to the #10 seed in the ASUN tournament.

AW has the exact same *NCAA* winning % as DD at a mid-major just like DD...a big NO THX!

[Garbanjo]

AW has the exact same *NCAA* winning % as DD at a mid-major just like DD...a big NO THX!

Yea, AW doesn't excite me

Would be a risky hire

[Garbanjo]

the times, they are a changin, and i mean right now, baby!   not going to happen i'm afraid, but one can dream the dream.

i'll take anybody who can bring the program up a notch and reasonably sustain it.  fewer down years and those years not so drastic.
a coach and staff who are flexible, disciplined and have fun at the same time.  a coach and staff who's recruiting philosophy is flexible, bold and aggressive.

is that too much to ask?

We can run the Sun Belt with a good coach

It's really not that big of an ask folks

DD needs to do the right thing for Marshall and retire at the end of this season

It's over man

Go Herd!

[miltonherdfan]

More from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

?With UC specifically, I came in preaching a new culture and a different way of doing things,? Brannen said. ?And the guy I (followed) went to nine straight NCAA tournaments. The culture didn?t need to change. And then Covid changed a lot of things.?

if he ends up here in 2 yrs, he's gonna need to do a lotta preaching about culture & ways of doing things!  i imagine our next coach is gonna be appalled at how much they're gonna have to change the culture here.  can you imagine the stories he'll have to tell his other coaching buddies?  we might have to hire 2, like wvu did when they hired Dakich & Beilein.  😂  our 1st hire will get here & be so appalled at what he finds, he'll be out the door in 24 hrs & we'll have to go to option B.

[cincymike]

Will he be available for the 26-27 season when we will be looking for a new coach, after our current coach retires following the 25-26 season?

I hear what you are implying but here is the deal for me:

To bring DD back is a slap in the face of those of us who have supported the Herd throughout the years. I have contributed more than my fair share financially for 30+ years, and made hundreds of trips back and forth from Cincinnati to attend both football and basketball games.  We have rolled out the green carpet in hosting the Coaches Tour for more than 15 years raising many thousands of dollars.

Last year our basketball coach failed to attend.  He was called as to his where- abouts and replied he had forgotten.  All the work our loyal group put in obviously didn't to matter to him or our administration, as he signed his contract extension shortly afterward.

I will share with you what I have already told my Big Green friends.  Until there is a new mens basketball coach hired, I am withholding all support to Marshall, financial and otherwise. I'm already planning some nice vacations with the extra money I am saving.  If none of this matters to those in power, so be it.  By your actions, or lack of them, you are letting me and others who share my opinion know just how much we matter to you!

[SuperAnjario]

I hear what you are implying but here is the deal for me:

To bring DD back is a slap in the face of those of us who have supported the Herd throughout the years. I have contributed more than my fair share financially for 30+ years, and made hundreds of trips back and forth from Cincinnati to attend both football and basketball games.  We have rolled out the green carpet in hosting the Coaches Tour for more than 15 years raising many thousands of dollars.

Last year our basketball coach failed to attend.  He was called as to his where- abouts and replied he had forgotten.  All the work our loyal group put in obviously didn't to matter to him or our administration, as he signed his contract extension shortly afterward.

I will share with you what I have already told my Big Green friends.  Until there is a new mens basketball coach hired, I am withholding all support to Marshall, financial and otherwise. I'm already planning some nice vacations with the extra money I am saving.  If none of this matters to those in power, so be it.  By your actions, or lack of them, you are letting me and others who share my opinion know just how much we matter to you!

YES!

He "forgot."  Just like he forgets to help at his basketball camps. 

[wlf]

Gotta be careful with that. 

Our best model is hiring highly successful D2 HC

I was waiting until I read the entire thread, but this is exactly what I was gonna post.👍👍

[svherd]

I was waiting until I read the entire thread, but this is exactly what I was gonna post.👍👍

Obviously that was a very poor hire; and likely just as bad search process at the time. But that was 50 years ago. We've hired two D2 HC's in the last 6 years or so, Grassie and now Caldwell, both have proven to be the best hires since Pruett. D2 is much better these days. Heck, the best D2 teams could beat our mens team easily. Plus, a D2 HC would be much cheaper to hire, be very grateful and likely stay longer.

I get sick of the - "the next HC must be a D1 assistant" mantra, that's not translated into good, sustained results for football or men's b'ball.

[marshallmark]

Obviously that was a very poor hire; and likely just as bad search process at the time. But that was 50 years ago. We've hired two D2 HC's in the last 6 years or so, Grassie and now Caldwell, both have proven to be the best hires since Pruett. D2 is much better these days. Heck, the best D2 teams could beat our mens team easily. Plus, a D2 HC would be much cheaper to hire, be very grateful and likely stay longer.

I get sick of the - "the next HC must be a D1 assistant" mantra, that's not translated into good, sustained results for football or men's b'ball.

You can't equate soccer with basketball.  I grant you Kim - she's a product of playing and coaching at DII.  Grassie cut his teeth in D-I and, as noted, soccer ain't basketball. 

[Buffalo Bop]

My short list for the next men's basketball coach at Marshall in this order:

1. Morehead State basketball coach. His team is currently 23-8

2. John Brannen for obvious reasons. He would be a good fit for Marshall.

3. West Liberty basketball coach. Similar background to Kim Caldwell.

[Flat Tire 2]

You can't equate soccer with basketball.  I grant you Kim - she's a product of playing and coaching at DII.  Grassie cut his teeth in D-I and, as noted, soccer ain't basketball.

I think Kim is a great hire and we are lucky to have her at Marshall. We need to support her and help grow the program. That said; I don't want to sound like a male chauvinist, but I don't think you can compare WB to MB either. The interest and fan support are not on the same level in college with TV contracts and media coverage. Maybe that will change with time, but right now they are not comparable.