A Conversation with Marist head coach Matt Brady
In a quote on the Marist College basketball website St. Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli states, “[Matt Brady] has proven himself as a recruiter, and more importantly, as a teacher of the game of basketball.”
Marist will get a chance to see both skills in action as Matt Brady begins a new era as head coach of the Red Foxes. On April 26, Brady was named the fifth head coach in the Poughkeepsie, NY school’s Division I history, replacing Dave Magarity, who was recently named director of basketball operations for the Metro Atlantic Conference after 18 years as a coach.
For some guys on the assistant coaching circuit, there’s just a right time to make the move from bench buddy to skipper. The time for Brady is now. He spent 17 years cutting his teeth as an assistant – 11 at St. Joseph’s, where he earned a reputation as a fine recruiter and shooting guru.
A couple of cases in point: as an assistant at St. Joe’s under Martelli, Brady was responsible for signing both 2003-04 National Player of the Year Jameer Nelson and his backcourt mate Delonte West. This past season, the duo formed arguably the most formidable guard tandem in the nation as the Hawks soared through the regular season at 27-0 and finished the year with a glimmering 30-2 record.
As for that shooting guru label, it’s not just a cute nickname. Brady is often credited as the guy who got the Hawks shooting 47.5% from the floor last year and 44.3% the year before that. From three-point range, St. Joe’s hit on 313 treys, a new school record. (The Hawks hit 20 against Big 5 rival Temple.)
But as Brady steps into the head coaching limelight in Poughkeepsie, Red Fox fans have to wonder: Can our new coach’s combination of pedigree, recruiting and shooting make Marist a winner? Can he pull us up from also-ran status to MAAC contender…to conference champion? I asked Coach Brady about being a part of St. Joe’s undefeated season, about recruiting challenges in the New York area, and of course, what it’s going to take to knock Manhattan from the MAAC mountain.
Adam Shandler: Why did this opportunity appeal to you?
Matt Brady: Opportunities to be a Division I head coach are very rare. To be the head coach at a great college with players hungry to win and to be near the media capital of the world are extra benefits.
AS: What have you done to put your stamp on this program so far?
MB: I met and worked individually with all returning players, hired a great young
staff, spoke at various booster meetings and recruited for the following year’s
team.
AS: It seems like, every year, there are at least two to three teams that can potentially unseat Manhattan as the MAAC favorite. What’s it going to take to dethrone the Jaspers, in your opinion?
MB: A team that believes in itself and has the talent and coaching to do so.
Iona and Niagara seem to pose the greatest threat.
AS: You were responsible for recruiting Jameer Nelson while an assistant at St. Joe’s. As the coach of a New York-area school, you’ll now probably be competing against conference foes Manhattan, Fairfield and St. Peter’s – not too mention other area mid-major schools – for the same recruits. Do you have a sales pitch in mind that makes the Marist program stand out?
MB: We want quality student-athletes who realize that they can become better
individually and that Marist can help them realize that potential.
AS: You’re going to be a young team when the season tips off in November; a lot of underclassmen. Advantage or disadvantage?
MB: It would have been an advantage to return four orf five starters from two seasons ago, but this year’s frosh and sophs have excellent potential and character.
AS: According to your dossier, you are a strong proponent of shooting, especially from behind the arc. Will long-range shooting be a staple of the Marist offense, or do you still have to assess your team’s skills to see if that will be feasible?
MB: Over the long term three point shooting will be our greatest strength. Whether or not it will be this year remains to be seen.
AS: When you meet your team for its first practice, what kinds of expectations will you communicate?
MB: The first practice will introduce daily improvement and mental toughness which will be our operating procedure until games start.
AS: You come to Marist from St. Joe’s. Tell me what it was like to be part of a team that was undefeated for the better part of a season?
MB: The undefeated run was surreal. It was the experience of a lifetime for
everyone involved. It was the story of the college season and I was thrilled
to be a part of it.
AS: Do you think it was wise for Delonte West to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft this year? Do you think he will thrive in the NBA?
MB: Unquestionably Delonte made a sound decision regardless of where or when he
was drafted. He was going to make someone’s team. If he was a second-round pick
then he would be a free agent at 21 years of age, if a first-round pick then he was an
instant millionaire playing for a team that truly understood his value and
potential.
AS: What did Phil Martelli say to you when he learned of your taking the Marist job?
MB: Coach Martelli is ecstatic when all assistants get the opportunity to lead
their own program. Remember he was an assistant for 10 seasons before he got
his opportunity.
