Tennessee Temple University brings in Brac Brady as head coach

photo Brac Brady, new Tennessee Temple University men's basketball coach
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Brac Brady again is succeeding Randy Lee as a college basketball head coach. This time it's at Tennessee Temple University, seven years after he took over when Lee left Maine-Machias for Texas-Permian Basin.

Lee came to Temple in 2009 and began a rebuilding process, but he has given up his coaching duties to expand his work with Global Prep, a recruiting and athlete development organization in partnership with TTU. Lee's final Crusaders team went 15-16.

Kenrick Liburd, who played at the Maine school and was a student assistant in Lee's last season there, is Temple's women's coach and headed the search committee that recommended Brady, who also will be an assistant athletic director.

Brady became the AD at UM-Machias in 2008. He has a master's degree from Florida State.

"He's a great guy. He and his wife will add greatly to the family here at Temple," Liburd said. "And he's a fantastic coach and mentor. He will help our young men on and off the court, not only as players but socially and spiritually. He will help take our program forward, continuing to build on the great work Randy Lee has done."

Temple has had a new president since January, and its affiliated church, Highland Park Baptist, just voted in a new senior pastor, so the campus is re-energized with excitement, Liburd said, and the TTU administration already is showing a commitment to athletics.

Brady was 119-77 in his seven years at Maine-Machias, which two years ago went from the NAIA to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, Division II. He had a 22-5 record in 2008-09 and records of 22-11 and 14-13 the last two years.

From 1999 to 2005 he coached at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla., where he grew up. He played a year at Manatee before three seasons at Palm Beach Atlantic, a Christian college where he was a 1995-96 senior when Lee was a student assistant there.

"Randy was instrumental in getting me up to Maine," Brady said, "but this transition is more a Kenrick connection than a Randy connection. I feel the program there is on solid ground now, and I see a tremendous amount of potential here.

"I met with the administration a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed with the plan they have and the direction they want to take the school. The opportunity to work at a Christian school is very attractive to me, and this gets my wife and me back closer to family and friends in Florida and her dad in Ohio."

Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.

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