After eight years as a member of the Franklin men’s basketball program, including the last two as its head coach, Brian Lebowitz has announced he is stepping down from his position.

As the head coach of the Grizzlies, Lebowitz finished with a 23-21 record and back-to-back Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament championships. Additionally, the Grizzlies claimed a share of the 2019-20 HCAC regular season crown, accomplishing that feat for the first time since 2006-07.

“I want to thank Franklin College for this opportunity,” Lebowitz said. “When President Prather hired me almost a decade ago, we set a goal of restoring Franklin’s place as a championship level program. Winning the HCAC regular season championship in 2020 and the conference tournament in each of the last two years has been the experience of a lifetime. I have had the chance to work with phenomenal players, coaches and support staff that made every moment at Franklin worth it. I am excited for the future of this program.”

Lebowitz joined the Grizzlies as an assistant coach ahead of the 2014-15 season and was promoted to Associate Head Coach during the 2019-20 campaign. In each of the last four seasons, Franklin has advanced to the semifinals of the HCAC Tournament, breaking through with a conference tournament victory in 2021 when they won three road games to capture the program’s first conference tournament title since 2008.

With no NCAA Tournament played in 2021, Lebowitz led Franklin back to the big dance in 2022 with three more wins away from home in the HCAC Tournament, capturing a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a 91-84 win at Hanover. It marked the sixth time in program history Franklin won the conference tournament. The Grizzlies will return all but one member from this past year’s team, with Krause the lone senior set to graduate.

A national search for the Grizzlies’ next head coach will begin immediately.

https://franklingrizzlies.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220307manxbu