Mike Brennan, a former Patriot League head coach with 10 years of experience in the conference, has joined the Loyola University Maryland men’s basketballs staff as an assistant coach, Head Coach Tavaras Hardy announced today.
Brennan served as the head coach at American University from 2013-2023 and became the fifth in Eagles’ program history to reach 100 career victories on November 12, 2021. He finished his tenure at American ranked third all-time in wins (125) and second in Patriot League victories (75).
“As an accomplished head coach in the Patriot League, Mike’s knowledge will make an immediate impact on the success of our program,” Hardy said.” We share a lot of commonalities having both worked for John Thompson III at Georgetown, and we both played, and have coached, in the Princeton systems. Mike adds a veteran presence to our staff that will truly enhance the experience of our student-athletes. I am thrilled to welcome Mike Brennan to the Loyola Basketball Family.”
Overall, he brings 12 seasons of Patriot League coaching experience to the Loyola bench after he spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as an assistant at American before transitioning to the same role just south at Georgetown University where he was from 2009-13.
“I am grateful to Coach Hardy and thrilled about this opportunity and excited to be working at a place like Loyola,” Brennan added.
During Brennan’s first year as a head coach at American, he led the Eagles to the Patriot League Championship in 2013-14 as the Eagles ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division I in both field-goal percentage (.495) and points allowed per game (59.1).
He was the Patriot League Coach of the Year in his first season and was a finalist for the national Joe B. Hall (first-year head coach) and Hugh Durham (mid-major head coach) Awards. His second season team as head coach also reached the Patriot League Championship Game.
Brennan’s Eagles finished second in the conference during the 2019-20 regular-season with Sa’eed Nelson culminating his American career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,116 points) and earning Patriot League Player of the Year and Lou Henson Mid-Major All-America honors.
Prior to his tenure as a head coach, Brennan spent 14 years as an assistant coach, first serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Columbia University in 1995-96 before embarking on a European professional basketball career in Germany, Belgium and Portugal.
After finishing his playing career, Brennan joined John Thompson III’s coaching staff at Princeton University as an assistant in 2000-21. He spent the next seven seasons (2000-07) as an assistant at the Ivy League school, helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and 2004 and the NIT in 2002.
He moved to Washington, D.C., in 2007 and joined Jeff Jones’ staff at American, helping the Eagles to two of the best years in program history as they won back-to-back Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2008.
After the two seasons as an assistant at American, Brennan continued with Thompson as an assistant at nearby Georgetown University prior to the 2009-10 season. The Hoyas posted 93 wins over the four years Brennan was on the bench with trips to the NCAA Tournament each season. Georgetown was a No. 3 seed in the tournament in 2010 and 2012 and a No. 2 seed in 2013 after sharing the Big East regular-season title. When he departed Georgetown for American, Hardy joined the Hoyas’ staff in Brennan’s spot as an assistant.
Brennan entered the coaching ranks after an impressive collegiate and professional playing career that included four years as a starter for Carril at Princeton. He led the Tigers to the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Tournaments and was named to the All-Ivy Second Team in 1994. He was a point guard on arguably the best high school team in New Jersey state history, Elizabeth, before matriculating to Princeton.
Brennan earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton in 1994.
Former American Head Coach Brennan joins Loyola Maryland Basketball Staff
