NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from 2008 offseason

9. Matt Brady (James Madison)

The Dukes of James Madison have had some good years and some great stretches of basketball, but there have been down years as well. By 2008, they were firmly in the midst of one of those down stretches, having won more than 7 games just once in the last five seasons. They were thrown into another coaching search, even after last season’s team had shown promise, but it was up to the new guy to push things over the top.

That new guy wound up being a coach named Matt Brady. A former player at Siena, he had worked at a number of schools on the East Coast, including a more than decade-long run with Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s. After that program’s success in 2004, Brady got his first shot at head coach, taking over the Marist program for four seasons, leading them to an NIT bid during his tenure.

For eight years, James Madison was Brady’s program, and they made significant progress compared to what he inherited. He won 21 games in half of his seasons, bringing the Dukes back to the NCAA Tournament in 2013. Throw in three other postseason appearances and a decent record, and this was a solid CAA program. Brady was unfortunately fired in 2016, even after another very solid season; the Dukes have struggled since his dismissal.