Courtesy of GoExplorers.com
PHILADELPHIA – Matt Brady, who has nearly 30 years of experience as a coach at the Division I level, including 12 as a head coach, has been named an assistant basketball coach at La Salle, head coach Dr. John Giannini announced today. Brady replaces Will Bailey, who took a similar position at Saint Louis earlier this month.
“I have counted Coach Brady as a friend and admired his coaching acumen since we worked basketball camps together in the early 1990s,” Giannini said. “He is a great recruiter, a renowned player development specialist and a proven winner as a head coach. I am sure he is going to have a very positive impact on our student-athletes and staff.”
Brady was most recently the head coach at James Madison, where he compiled 139 wins in eight seasons, which included four seasons with 21 wins. In 2013, he led the Dukes to a CAA Championship and an NCAA Tournament bid. He also guided the Dukes to three additional postseason appearances and the 2015 CAA regular season title.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Explorer basketball family and grateful for the opportunity and trust that Coach Giannini has given me,” Brady said. “In my short time here, I already see the enthusiasm and optimism for La Salle basketball for next year and beyond is truly justified. This is a great time to be a part of La Salle basketball.”
In 2013, Brady was recognized as State Coach of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors following his NCAA Tournament campaign and also claimed District 10 Co-Coach of the Year accolades from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Brady coached ten all-CAA players at JMU and four all-district honorees. Three of the top ten scorers in program history were coached by Brady along with three of the top 10 three-point shooters.
Prior to leading the program at James Madison, Brady was the head coach at Marist for four seasons from 2004-08.
He compiled a 73-50 record with the Red Foxes and improved their win total during each of his first three seasons with the team. Marist set a program record for wins during its 25-9 season in 2006-07 when Brady was the MAAC and New York City-area coach of the year. Marist had the MAAC Player of the Year in guard Jared Jordan, a two-time NCAA Division I assists champion and the 45th overall choice in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
A 1987 Siena graduate and a native of Haddon Heights, N.J., Brady was a Division I assistant coach for 17 seasons at Rhode Island (1987-89), Wagner (1989-93) and Saint Joseph’s (1993-04).
While Brady was at Saint Joseph’s, the Hawks appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times, the NIT three times and won four Big 5 championships and three Atlantic 10 titles.
Saint Joseph’s was 27-0 during the regular season in 2003-04, earned a No. 1 national ranking and a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, and reached the Elite Eight during the postseason. Brady was involved in recruiting several of the top players in Saint Joseph’s history, including 2004 National Player of the Year Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, an honorable mention Associated Press All-America.
Brady was credited with impressive shooting by players at Saint Joseph’s, whose 2003- 04 squad set a team record with 313 three-point field goals. Marist also had dramatic statistical improvements under his direction, ranking in the top three in the 10-team MAAC in overall field goal percentage, three-point percentage and three-pointers per game during each of his four seasons.
As a player at Siena, Brady appeared in 114 career games, including 92 as a starter. He completed his career as the program’s all-time assists leader (593), and he was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1993. For his career he accumulated 1,106 points (9.7 points per game) and was a 45.9 percent shooter from the field.
Brady was a standout at Paul VI High School in Haddon (N.J.) Township and was named to the 1980s South Jersey All-Decade Team. He was enshrined in the Camden County Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
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