With more than 20 years of coaching experience on the NCAA Division I level including two prior stints at Colonial Athletic Association-member schools, Milan Brown is in his third year as assistant men’s basketball coach at the College of Charleston.
Brown, 46, joined head coach Earl Grant’s staff in the summer of 2015 after serving five years as head men’s basketball coach from 2010-15 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. His previous ties to the CAA were assistant coaching stops at former league-member Old Dominion (1995-97) and William & Mary (2000-02).
“We are excited about the addition of Milan Brown to our basketball family,” Grant said. “Milan has been very successful throughout his career as an assistant and most recently as a head coach. He is a man of character, a great recruiter, is very energetic and has a phenomenal basketball mind. Milan will strengthen our recruiting presence in the Mid-Atlantic regions (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia) as well as assist in recruiting the South. On behalf of our basketball family, we would like to welcome Milan, his wife Tina, and daughters, Nyla and Sanaa, to the Charleston community.”
In 2014-15, Holy Cross upset No. 25-ranked Harvard in non-conference play to mark the first win over a ranked team since 1977 in program history. The Crusaders’ top player, Malcolm Miller, graduated and will play with the Boston Celtics’ summer league team.
“I am extremely blessed to have this opportunity to join the College of Charleston basketball program,” Brown said. “I understand the rich basketball tradition that Charleston has and I feel lucky to be a part of it. Coach Grant is a high-character person who brings a tremendous amount of positive energy and passion to this program. I look forward to working with Coach Grant, his staff and the players.”
During the 2013-14 campaign, Brown led Holy Cross to a 20-14 overall record en route to its first 20-win season since 2007. The Crusaders placed third in the Patriot League with a 12-6 conference mark and received an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Holy Cross’ 68-65 victory at Brown in the first round of the 2014 CIT was its first in a national postseason tournament since 2005. Dave Dudzinski and Malcolm Miller both received All-Patriot League honors at the end of the season, with Dudzinski also being selected to the NABC All-District Team.
In 2012-13, Brown’s squad went 8-6 in non-conference action, good for the program’s first winning mark in non-league play since 2008. Dudzinski earned All-Patriot League honors and Cullen Hamilton was selected to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.
Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 15-14 and a fourth-place finish in the Patriot League with a 9-5 mark in conference games in 2011-12. Brown’s team led the league in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.5 percent) and blocked shots (4.4 blocks per game). Devin Brown earned All-Patriot League honors and Justin Burrell was selected as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
During his first year with the Crusaders, Brown led the squad to a third-place finish in the Patriot League with a 7-7 mark in conference games. In addition, two of his players, Devin Brown and Andrew Keister, earned All-Patriot League honors in 2010-11.
Prior to his time at Holy Cross, Brown spent seven seasons as head coach at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md. During his final three years with the Mountaineers, he led his squad to three-straight winning seasons and a pair of postseason appearances. Brown’s teams posted a 54-44 record (.551) during those three years including a 35-19 mark (.648) in Northeast Conference play.
Defense was a staple of Brown’s squads, as the Mountaineers allowed just 64.7 points per game and 41.7 percent field-goal shooting over a three-year span from 2007-10, while holding their opposition to under 70 points in 72 out of 98 games. During the 2007-08 campaign, Brown led Mount St. Mary’s to its first NCAA Division I Tournament victory in school history, with a 69-60 win over Coppin State in the opening round.
In 2009-10, Brown’s Mount St. Mary’s team posted an overall record of 16-15 and finished third in the Northeast Conference with a 12-6 mark. The Mountaineers led the league and ranked No. 48 in the nation by allowing only 63.2 points per game. Mount St. Mary’s also posted an 11-game winning streak from Jan. 28-March 4, the second-longest streak in the school’s Division I history and advanced to the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament. In addition, the Mountaineers non-conference strength of schedule ranked as the No. 25-toughest in the nation.
A year prior, Brown’s squad went 19-14 overall and 12-6 in the Northeast Conference, placing second in the league. The Mountaineers advanced to the Northeast Conference championship game, before suffering a tough 48-46 loss on the road to Robert Morris. Mount St. Mary’s was then selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, where it fell 69-58 at James Madison in the first round.
During the 2007-08 campaign, Brown led the Mountaineers to their first winning record in 11 seasons, posting a 19-15 overall mark. Mount St. Mary’s finished the regular season in fourth in the Northeast Conference with an 11-7 league record, before running off three-straight victories to claim the NEC Tournament title. Included in that tournament run was an 83-65 victory at Robert Morris in the semifinals and a 68-55 win at Sacred Heart in the championship game. The Mountaineers then took down Coppin State (69-60) in the NCAA opening round, before falling to North Carolina (113-74) in their next game.
Brown took over as the head coach at Mount St. Mary’s in 2003-04, and led his team to its first Northeast Conference Tournament appearance since 1999 during his inaugural campaign. By his third year in 2005-06, the Mountaineers finished fourth in the Northeast Conference with an 11-7 record – their highest finish in the league since 1996-97.
Following the 2005-06 campaign, Brown was selected as the Northeast Conference’s Coach of the Year by College Insider. He then directed Mount St. Mary’s to another fourth-place finish in the NEC in 2006-07 with a 9-9 mark in conference games.
Before his head coaching stints, Brown served twice as an assistant for the Mountaineers under Jim Phelan. He was the associate head coach at Mount St. Mary’s during the 2002-03 campaign and an assistant coach from 1997-2000. During the 1998-99 season, Brown helped lead the Mountaineers to the Northeast Conference Tournament crown and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
From 2000-02, Brown was an assistant coach at William & Mary under Rick Boyages. He previously served as an assistant under Jeff Capel at Old Dominion from 1995-97 helping lead the Monarchs to a combined record of 40-24 over two seasons. In 1996-97, ODU won both the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Brown began his coaching career in 1994-95 as an assistant at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Va., where he helped lead the team to a 23-7 record and the state championship.
A 1993 graduate of Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Brown earned All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors his senior year after averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. He still ranks second on the Bison’s all-time career list for assists (445) and scored 1,102 points in his career. Brown led Howard to the MEAC regular-season and tournament titles during the 1991-92 season, earning All-MEAC Tournament honors. He was then named the CBS Player of the Game for the Bison’s contest with Kansas in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Brown had his number retired at Howard in December of 2005.
The son of Charles and Pamela Brown, he is the oldest of three children. His brother, Morocco, played football at NC State, and is the Vice President of Player Personnel for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. His other brother, Marseilles, played basketball at both Richmond and Hampton, advancing to the NCAA Tournament at each school. He is now the owner of Hoops & Life Pro Skills Training in Columbia, S.C.
Originally from Hampton, Va., Brown and his wife, Tina, are the proud parents of two daughters, Nyla (11) and Sanaa (9).
