From Brandeis University Athletics
Brandeis University has hired Jean Bain, the associate head coach at Columbia University, as the 11th men's basketball head coach in program history, Interim Athletic Director Jeff Ward announced today.
"I can't wait to come back home to New England to join the Brandeis family," said Bain, a Medford, Massachusetts, native. "I appreciate the opportunity given to me by President [Ron] Liebowitz, Provost [Lisa] Lynch and [Interim] Athletic Director Ward. Brandeis has a national brand, and I look forward to bringing the basketball program back to prominence."
"We are very excited that Jean Bain will be the new leader of our men's basketball team," said Dorothee Kern, Professor of Biochemistry at Brandeis and a former member of the German national women's basketball team, who served on the search committee that reviewed more than 100 applicants for the position. "His goals align with Brandeis and the team's drive to excellence. His love and passion for the game, his competitive fire, his positive attitude and high energy are infectious."
"Jean is a fantastic addition to our staff. Every person with whom I spoke praised the strength of his values, his work ethic, and his basketball knowledge. He is truly a teacher/coach," said Ward. "In the interview process, Jean created an immediate connection with the team. They sensed his genuine interest in them as people and his ability to help them develop on and off the court."
Bain joined the Columbia coaching staff as an assistant in 2016 and was promoted to associate head coach last year. He served as the Lions' recruiting coordinator, bringing in one of the top classes in recent memory in the Class of 2021. On the court, his focus was the team's perimeter players and offensive play, helping Columbia lead the Ivy League in scoring on a points-per-possession basis in 2016-17.
Prior to his time at Columbia, Bain served as the associate head coach at another Ivy League institution, Dartmouth College, from 2012 through 2016. He worked with the Big Green's post players and helped the team increase its win total in each of his first four years. He also recruited back-to-back Ivy League Rookies of the Year in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Bain helped Dartmouth reach the postseason for the first time in more than fifty years. Before coaching at Dartmouth, Bain spent 2005 through 2012 coaching at the University of New Hampshire, where he recruited three 1,000-point scorers.
In Division III basketball, Bain helped Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to a 24-5 record and a berth in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament as an assistant in 2004-05.
Bain is a 2002 graduate of Northeastern University with a B.S. in sociology. He was the America East Rookie of the Year in 1999. Bain served as the Huskies' captain as a junior and senior, earning All-America East honors in 2002.