New Jersey City University Athletics

ALL-MET RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University sixth-year head men's basketball coach Marc Brown has been voted the 2012-13 Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division III Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Brown, who in February was also named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the first time, will be honored as part of the 80^th NIT/MBWA Haggerty Awards banquet. The awards dinner will be held on Monday, April 15 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY.
 
Brown becomes the third coach in program history to have been voted the NIT/MBWA Coach of the Year, joining his legendary father, Charles Brown, who won the award on three occasions—1989-90, 1991-92 and 2003-04—and Paul Weinstein, the first winner from the University in 1978-79.
 
“It's another feather in the cap for a season that ended on a positive note and an award that's driving me to improve myself as a coach,” the younger Brown said. “Obviously to be honored regionally like this is pretty special. I'm really looking forward to next year.”
 
In what was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Gothic Knights—having lost five starters and nearly 90 percent of its scoring offense and rebounding from the 2011-12 season—the year did not begin well for NJCU. The Knights opened the year with a 2-7 record (0-6 NJAC) thru December 12 and a 4-9 mark (0-7 NJAC) as of January 5.
 
But in the New Year, NJCU, guided by Brown, and assistant coaches Chris Brown and Jonathan Greene, engineered what is believed to be the greatest turnaround to a season in Division III basketball history. With only two letter-winners from 2011-12 still on its roster at that point of the season, NJCU rebounded from a 0-7 record in the NJAC in early January, to win nine of its final 11 league games and became the first known men's or women's team in Division III history to qualify for its conference tournament after such a start.
 
 The younger Brown, who led NJCU to the 2011 NJAC championship in his fourth year at the helm, and that year was named the D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, did not allow an extremely young Gothic Knight squad to quit after starting the year poorly. 
 
The Knights pulled off a streak of 10 wins in 12 games and claimed seven consecutive victories to conclude the regular season with a mark of 14-11 and 9-9 (.500) in the league before losing by four points in the NJAC Quarterfinals on February 16. NJCU advanced to the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament as the sixth seed and stunned once-nationally ranked New York University on the road for the second time this season before losing to eventual champion SUNY Old Westbury in the ECAC semifinals. 
 
The Knights finished the year with a 15-13 ledger and in doing so, recorded a winning record for the 36^th time in its last 38 seasons and a .500 or better record and non-losing season for the 42^nd time in 43 years. NJCU also earned its 30^th post-season appearance in 31 years.
 
While NJCU struggled for points with the NJAC's lowest scoring offense (59.8), Brown's squad more than made up for it by playing historic defense. NJCU led the conference in lowest scoring defense at 58.3 points per game—less than two points per game better than any other school—and the 13^th best scoring defense among 407 schools in Division III.
 
In the 80-year history of the program, the 2012-13 squad established a school record for scoring defense, allowing just 58.3 points per game—smashing the mark of 58.7 points per game set nearly 50 years earlier (1963-64) on a team which Brown's father, Charlie, was a junior All-Conference standout.
 
Brown's teams have been known for defense throughout his tenure, recording three of the six and four of the nine best known scoring defenses in program history.


In addition to scoring defense, the Knights also led the league in virtually every defensive category and six of 21 possible categories—rebounding defense (32.9 per game), blocked shots (4.1/game), steals (10.5/game), offensive rebounds (15.8/game) and offensive rebound percentage (.403). The club was second in turnover margin (+3.14/game) and defensive rebound percentage (.697), and was third in rebounding margin (+3.9).
 
Nationally NJCU also listed 19^th in steals per game, 44^th in turnover margin, 46^th in blocked shots per game, 63^rd in rebounding margin and 73^rd in field-goal percentage defense (.407).
 
Since succeeding his father as head coach for the 2007-08 season, Brown, who has an 88-71 record in 157 games (.553), has produced eight All-NJAC performers, three Rookies of the Year and one Defensive Player of the Year.