Pitt-Bradford didn’t have to go far to find its new men’s basketball coach. Just two doors down the hall.
Sean Brown, who has guided the Pitt-Bradford women’s basketball team to two straight playoff appearances, has accepted the position as the new men’s coach, replacing Britt Moore who stepped down in May after six seasons at the helm.
“I am extremely proud to announce that Coach Brown has accepted the University’s offer to become our head men’s basketball coach,” Bret Butler, director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation, said.
“He has done an exemplary job leading our women’s program, and we are convinced that he will do the same with our men. Most importantly, Sean is a great man with high character, and all members of our student body will look up to him.”
Moore coached the Panthers to six straight playoff appearances. He left for a similar position at Division III Elizabethtown College, taking with him a 78-78 overall record and 60-48 mark in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
Brown, 34-21 overall, is coming off two successful seasons with the women’s team after arriving on campus just before the start of the 2015-16 season. In his first year, Brown led the Panthers to an 18-10 record and 12-6 mark in the AMCC. The team reached the AMCC championship game that year before losing to La Roche.
This past season, led by AMCC Player of the Year Ali Rinfrette, the Panthers finished at 16-11 and tied for second in the AMCC regular season with a 12-6 mark. They then fell to Medaille in the AMCC semifinals.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected as Pitt-Bradford’s next men’s basketball coach,” Brown said. “I would like to thank our president, Livingston Alexander, and Bret Butler for this opportunity.”
Brown takes over a team that finished 12-13 overall and was sixth in the AMCC with a 10-8 record. The Panthers haven’t had a losing season in the AMCC since going 8-10 in during the 2012-13 campaign.
“Brit Moore established a tradition of hardnosed basketball here at Pitt-Bradford,” Brown said. “I am honored to inherit the program he has built. The commitment to winning at Pitt-Bradford is unquestioned, and I am looking forward to contributing to one of the most successful athletic programs in this department’s history.”
Brown arrived at Pitt-Bradford after eight seasons as the top assistant of the Frostburg State men’s basketball program. He also spent two years as an assistant coach at South Side Academy in Baltimore. While at Frostburg, Brown helped the Bobcats to two appearances in the AMCC tournament and two showings in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs.
He admitted, though, leaving the women’s team for the men’s program wasn’t an easy decision.
“It’s an opportunity that came up and something I really had to think about,” Brown said. “It was a chance to get back on the men’s side, and that’s what I had done. I’m excited, but it’s also bittersweet. I have really enjoyed my time coaching the women, and we really have a nice team coming back with a good recruiting class coming in, but I’m looking forward to getting the men’s program over the hump.
“Brit had done a tremendous job and it’s nice making the playoffs every year, but now we want to get to the next step and compete at the championship level.”
In addition to his years of coaching experience, Brown was a standout guard at Frostburg State. He began his playing career with the Bobcats in 1997-98, and then transferred to Prince George’s Community College, earning team MVP honors for averaging 14 points and seven assists per game as a sophomore.
He returned to Frostburg State for his final two years of eligibility and helped the Bobcats to a 36-22 record, including winning the AMCC Championship his junior year. He was an AMCC honorable mention after averaging 11.8 points per game while also leading the team in steals (66), assists (167) and three-point percentage (46.2).
As a senior, he led the Bobcats to a runner-up finish in the AMCC tournament. He was a first-team All-AMCC selection, averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 assists per game while also leading the Bobcats on the defensive end with 69 steals.
Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation and parks management and a master’s degree in education from Frostburg State.
Brown resides in Bradford, Pa. with his wife. Jennifer, their two sons, Sean Jr., and Jalen, daughter Chloe and twin daughters, Catalina and Marie.
http://athletics.pittbradford.org/sports/mbkb/2016-17/releases/20170614eur61e
