| WILL
BROWN BIOGRAPHY
 Will
Brown recently completed his sixth season as
the University at Albany's head men's
basketball coach. In 2006-07, Brown guided the
Great Danes to their second straight America
East Conference championship after defeating
top-seed Vermont in the tournament final. The
Great Danes, who earned an automatic NCAA
berth, were seeded No. 13 against Atlantic
Coast Conference regular-season winner
Virginia. Brown’s team totaled 20 victories
during the regular season for the first time
at the Division I level. In addition, UAlbany
tied the second-highest single-season win
total (23) in school history and posted
consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first
time in 17 years.
Brown led the Great Danes to their first-ever
NCAA Division I Tournament berth in 2005-06
after winning both the America East Conference
tournament and regular-season titles. UAlbany
set the program's Division I record for
single-season victories with a 21-11 record
and produced its highest win total since
1993-94. His squad posted UAlbany's first
postseason triumph in 11 years with three wins
in America East tournament play. The Great
Danes, who also established their top
conference mark with 13 victories in the
regular season, went on to put up a monumental
fight against second-ranked Connecticut in a
memorable NCAA first-round battle.
At the press conference to announce Brown's
five-year contract that keeps him as the
UAlbany head coach through the 2010-11 season,
Director of Athletics Lee McElroy made the
following statement, "Will Brown and his staff
have done an excellent job of building a young
Division I basketball program. Our
student-athletes are following the right path
both academically and athletically. The team
accomplished many historical things. The
foundation has been laid for the program to be
successful for years to come, something that
our students, alumni and fans can enjoy with
great pride."
In 2004-05, Coach Brown led UAlbany to a 13-15
record, an eight-win improvement from the
previous season. The Great Danes registered
their best-ever league record at the time with
a 9-9 mark and a fourth-place finish. UAlbany
also tied the fourth-best improvement among
Division I teams which recorded single-digit
victories in 2003-04, as only Texas A&M, San
Diego and Houston were better.
Brown was appointed as UAlbany's head coach on
March 13, 2002, and has worked on the
collegiate level since 1995. He became the
15th head coach in the history of the program.
At age 35, Brown is one of the youngest
Division I head coaches in the nation.
Brown, who joined the UAlbany staff as an
assistant in Sept. 2001, was promoted to
interim head coach on Dec. 20 of that year,
and guided the Great Danes to a 7-13 record
over the last 20 games. Albany was among the
conference leaders in scoring defense. He
coached the team to several impressive
victories, including a win over Vermont, the
America East Conference's regular-season
champion.
Brown previously served as the head coach at
Sullivan County Community College in Loch
Sheldrake, N.Y., from 1998-2001. He led the
Generals to a 90-10 record over a three-year
period with two regional and two district
titles. Sullivan County C.C. posted a 30-2
record and reached the National Junior College
Athletic Association (NJCAA) championship game
in 2000-01. Brown's first SCCC squad appeared
in the NJCAA "Final Four" and finished 32-3
overall. The Generals were ranked second
nationally in scoring at 92.9 points per game,
and ninth in team defense with a 67.1 average.
 Brown
was chosen the New York State Coaches
Association junior college coach of the year
in 1999. He also earned Mid-Hudson Conference
coach of the year honors three times, and was
District V's top coach twice. In addition, he
worked at Sullivan County C.C. as an associate
athletic director and as an adjunct professor
of sports management.
Previous to his appointment at Sullivan County
C.C., Brown spent three years at The College
of Saint Rose as an assistant coach on Brian
Beaury's staff. The Golden Knights made two
NCAA Division II "Elite Eight" appearances in
that span, and captured three New York
Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC)
championships and two Northeast Regional
crowns. Saint Rose compiled an 88-13 record
from 1995-98.
As a collegiate player, Brown was a two-time
NYCAC all-star and three-year starter at
Dowling College, an NCAA Division II program
on Long Island. He is the only player in
school history to combine for more than 1,000
points and 500 assists. Brown completed his
career as Dowling's all-time leader in assists
(591), three-point field goals (181) and free
throw percentage (.859). He also played second
singles on the school's tennis team.
A native of Miller Place, N.Y., Brown earned
first-team Class B all-state recognition as a
high school senior, when he averaged more than
35 points per game. He was chosen All-Long
Island and was a three-time All-Suffolk County
selection.
Coach Brown resides in Clifton Park with his
wife, Jamie, and their three-year-old son,
Jackson. Brown has a master's degree in
management and a B.A. in marketing from
Dowling College. His father, William, Jr., has
served as director of athletics at Miller
Place High School, where he previously was
head basketball coach for 17 years. His teams
won three Suffolk County League VII scholastic
titles. |