‘I’m going to give 110%:’ Isaac Brown officially introduced as WSU’s next coach

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Kaylee Stout / The Sunflower

Wichita State’s men’s basketball coach, Isaac Brown poses with athletic director, Darron Boatright during Brown’s coaching inauguration at Charles Koch Arena on March 1.

Wichita State officially announced Isaac Brown as the team’s next head basketball coach during a press conference on Monday inside Charles Koch Arena. 

Brown received the Interim Head Coach job following Gregg Marshall’s resignation. Since then, Brown has maneuvered the Shockers through a difficult season where they now sit atop of the American Athletic Conference standings with a 13-4 record. 

“He was prepared for the moment,” Athletic Director Darron Boatright said. “Then you start to watch the success and prepare for conference games, it became clear. I spoke with Isaac several weeks ago and told him that not one game will get him this job and not one game will cost him this job. It’s too important to let something that is that vulnerable make the decision.”

Brown and WSU have agreed to an unofficial five-year contract but Boatright said they are still working on the details and are yet to make the contract official. 

Originally, the plan was for the program to announce Brown’s promotion next week but with a pair of postponements, they decided to move it up a week. 

“We planned on making this announcement early next week between the end of the regular season and the conference tournament, but to be honest with you, we moved it up a week because we lost a week of games and with the conversations going on nationally about us getting into the NCAA tournament, I didn’t want another weekend cycle to go by without our being in the conversation in some form or fashion,” Boatright said.

As he now shifts into the head coaching role, Brown said that he wants to continue the successful tradition in the years to come. 

“I want to just be a good coach for this university,” Brown said. “We have such a rich basketball tradition. When I came here as an assistant, my ultimate goal was to be a head coach somewhere someday. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be the head coach at Wichita State. I’m going to give 110% every day.”

Brown said he is hopeful to turn the Shockers into a players-first program. 

“In our first team meeting, we talked about those guys taking ownership of the team. I want it to be a players-first program. They’re the reason we win. They’re taking the shots, running up and down the floor, executing. The coaching staff tries to make sure those guys are organized and set for every game. This is a players-first program and I just want to do a good job with those guys.”

Since taking over in November, Brown and the Shockers have endured some adversity this season. The team has only been limited to 11 conference games due to COVID-19 postponements and missed out on their opening tournament, as a result. 

Brown said that he’s been focused on making sure the players were organized and prepared to compete throughout this season. 

“I was just enjoying the challenge with it being my first time as a head coach,” Brown said. “I just wanted to make sure I was prepared and doing everything possible to have these guys ready to play. I give it up to the players because they have executed and have done everything they needed to do on the court and off the court, taking care of themselves and the community. I’m just excited about the opportunity.”

Brown has spent the last six years as an assistant coach on WSU’s coaching staff before receiving his promotion. On Monday, Brown credited his coaching staff in helping him throughout this transition. 

“Those guys give 110 percent every day,” he said. “With a staff, you want guys you can trust, and those guys are like brothers to me. It’s exciting these guys have an opportunity to win a championship.”