NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2015 season

By Joey Loose | Jul 2, 2021

DENVER, CO - MARCH 17: Chris Beard, head coach of Arkansas Little Rock Trojans reacts during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Pepsi Center on March 17, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball John Brannen Northern Kentucky Norse (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

7. John Brannen (Northern Kentucky)

Only a few seasons had passed since Northern Kentucky had upgraded to Division 1. Spending their first few seasons in the A-Sun, the Norse upgraded again to the Horizon League. Without anything yet to celebrate, the Norse found themselves looking for a new head coach to supercharge the program as they continued to adjust to D1 athletics.

John Brannen certainly did the trick. Brannen’s collegiate career was split between Morehead and Marshall, while his coaching career saw him serve on several staffs over the last two decades. He had served under coaches like Travis Ford and Anthony Solomon before spending nearly a decade under Anthony Grant at VCU and Alabama. Brannen was actually interim head coach with the Crimson Tide at season’s end.

In his first full-time head coaching gig, Brannen revolutionized this Norse program. After a meek opening campaign, he led Northern Kentucky to at least 22 wins in each of the next three seasons, including the program’s first two NCAA Tournament appearances. Building the Norse into one of the Horizon League’s top programs, Brannen’s success led him to taking the Cincinnati job in 2019.

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