John Brady (born September 17, 1954 in McComb, Mississippi) is the head men's basketball coach at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Early life and education

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Brady was born in 1954 in McComb, Mississippi, about 80 miles south of Jackson. He earned his BS from Belhaven College in 1976, where he played varsity basketball. He then received his master's in 1977 from Mississippi State University.

Early coaching career

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After a year as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State, Brady began coaching in the high school ranks of Louisiana. In 1981 Brady was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class AAA "Coach of the Year." After returning to MSU to serve eight years as an assistant under Bob Boyd and Richard Williams, Brady was named head coach at Samford University in 1992. In six years, Brady became the winningest coach in Samford history, garnering a 89-77 record.

Career at LSU

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In 1997, Brady replaced the legendary Dale Brown at head coach at LSU. When Brady arrived, the program was under probation and stinging from a recruiting scandal. Brady's first two years were rough, but in 2000 the Tigers broke through, posting a 28-6 record and a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. However, due to the loss of Stromile Swift and Jabari Smith to the 2000 NBA Draft, the Tigers could not carry their momentum to the next year, going 13-16 in 2001.

Brady's team entered the 2005-06 season unranked, but coming off a solid season in which they went 20-10 and made the NCAA Tournament. Led by Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Tyrus Thomas, the Tigers won their first outright SEC regular season championship since 1985, and earned a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After wins over Iona and Texas A&M, LSU defeated the #1 seed Duke and #2 seed Texas to make it to their first Final Four since 1986. Set at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 2006 Final Four was the first since 1980 to feature no #1 seeds (LSU, #2 UCLA, #3 Florida and #11 George Mason). Facing the #2 seed Bruins in the national semifinals, the Tigers were unable to solve UCLA's defense, losing 59-45. Despite the loss, the 2005-06 season will be remembered as one of the most successful in LSU men's basketball history.

Future

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In 9 seasons at LSU, Brady has compiled a 167-111 record, including two SEC Western division titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. Brady is currently negotiating a contract extension, and has said he plans to stay at LSU. ^*

External links

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• LSU Sports.net - Official LSU athletics site
• John Brady bio

1954 births | Living people | American basketball coaches | LSU Tigers basketball coaches | People from Mississippi | Samford University people