Arkansas State announced John Brady as the new head coach of its basketball team Tuesday, more than a month after he was fired from LSU.
“We are delighted to hire someone with great credentials,” Arkansas State Athletic Director Dean Lee said during a Tuesday press conference. “Coach Brady was a strong candidate from his initial interest and is a wonderful fit for Arkansas State.”
The announcement’s was made at Arkansas State press conference, and Brady said he is ready to take the reigns.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead the Arkansas State men’s basketball program to a position I feel like it deserves in the Sun Belt Conference,” Brady said during the press conference.
Brady, who was the second-longest tenured coach in the Southeastern Conference, came to LSU in 1997 after six seasons as the basketball coach at Samford University in Homewood, Ala. During his reign at LSU, the team posted a 192-139 overall record, three SEC Western Division titles, two SEC titles, two Sweet 16 appearances and a Final Four appearance.
He also garnered SEC Coach of the Year honors after the 1999-2000 and 2005-2006 seasons.
Despite that relative success, LSU also had its fair share of disappointing seasons during Brady’s regime. The team was 8-13 overall and 1-6 in the SEC at the time of Brady’s firing.
LSU finished fourth in the SEC West with a loss to South Carolina in the first game of the SEC tournament. The team has finished last in the SEC West four times in Brady’s 10 full seasons.
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