 Jesse Agel |
|
|
|
Jesse Agel, an assistant coach at Brown for the last two years
and a 17-year assistant coach at Vermont, has been named the head
men's basketball coach at Brown in an announcement made by Brown
Director of Athletics Michael Goldberger. "I am absolutely
delighted to have Jesse Agel as our head coach," said Goldberger.
"Jesse brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and years of
experience to the position. He has demonstrated that he knows what
it takes to be successful at this level. Jesse views coaching to be
about teaching, and that's something that Brown is all about and
what I look for in all of our head coaches." The 46-year-old Agel
(pronounced A-gull) assisted coach Craig Robinson at Brown for the
last two years, helping the Bears register a school-record 19
victories in 2007-2008, while gaining a berth in the post-season
College Basketball Invitational. The Bears finished second in the
Ivy standings with an 11-3 mark, winning 10 of their last 11
regular season games. "I embrace the opportunity to continue to
work with a group of extraordinary young men at such a prestigious
university as Brown," said Agel. "Our goal will remain the same,
which is the relentless pursuit of the Ivy League Championship.
It's been an honor to work in an outstanding athletic department
that has so many exceptional people and educators. I want to thank
former coach Craig Robinson for all he has done for me personally
and for leaving me a team that expects to win every time it steps
onto the court." During his 17-year stint at Vermont, Agel was the
architect of the Catamount's recent success on the basketball
court. A 1984 graduate of Vermont, Agel was the associate head
coach at Vermont for eight years under head coach Tom Brennan.
Agel's hard work and recruiting efforts were instrumental in
helping the Catamounts' to the finest four-year run in the 105-year
history of UVM basketball at the end of his UVM career. In this
stretch, Vermont won three consecutive America East titles (2003,
2004, 2005), the school's first conference championships, and its
first-ever regular season title in 2002 and again in 2005. The
crowning achievement in Agel's coaching career was a 60-57 victory
over Big East Champion Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 NCAA
Tournament at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. An excellent
basketball tactician and long-time student of the game, Agel began
his coaching career as a volunteer student assistant at Vermont in
1984-85. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was the head
coach at Harwood Union (Vt.) High School in Duxbury for two
seasons. He guided the Highlanders to the 1988 Vermont Division II
State Championship with a 21-2 record. Agel's successful recruiting
at the collegiate ranks brought in the core of regulars that helped
complete the turnaround of the Vermont program over the last
decade, highlighted by four straight 20-win seasons. Since 1993,
Vermont has had four players named America East Rookie of the Year,
including back-to-back winners in T.J. Sorrentine '04 and Taylor
Coppenrath '05. Both went on to earn America East Player of the
Year honors. Agel was also the director of the Vermont Basketball
Camp and has worked as a regular at many of the top camps in the
East. Agel and his wife, Theresa, reside in Wakefield, Rhode
Island, with their two boys, Zachary and Nicholas. What
They Say About Head Coach Jesse Agel...... "It was no
secret that coach Brennan had his own M.O, what with his daily
morning radio show and all, and that Agel was indeed Vermont's
chief tactician." - Bob Ryan, Boston Globe, April 2, 2005 "Brennan
would be the first to tell you that his longtime assistant coach
Jesse Agel does most of the planning and scouting and technical
coaching." John Feinstein, Washington Post, March 17, 2005 "Agel
met Van Gundy while a student at Vermont. In his 17 years as an
assistant at Vermont, Agel has evolved into the type of coach that
Stan and brother, Jeff, epitomize. He is the lead recruiter, runs
practice and does most of the in-game strategy." - Pete Thamel, New
York Times, March 18, 2005
