Jean Bain Accepts Head Coaching Job at Brandeis

WALTHAM, Mass. – Columbia men's basketball associate head coach Jean Bain has accepted the head coaching position at Brandeis University. Bain joined the Columbia coaching staff as an assistant in 2016 and was promoted to associate head coach last year. "We're really happy for Jean on landing his first head coaching job," said head coach Jim Engles. "It's what every coach ultimately strives for, so I know he's excited for the opportunity to go back closer to home and build a winner at Brandeis. He's done a great job for us the past two years and is an up-and-comer in this industry. We know he'll go on to do great things there." He served as the Lions' recruiting coordinator and worked with 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. "I'd like to thank Coach Engles, (athletics director) Peter Pilling, (SWA/senior associate AD) Jackie Blackett and (senior associate AD) Joe Quinlan for their help over the past two years and support throughout this process," Bain said. "I'm very fortunate to have worked with so many amazing people on the coaching staff and a great group of student-athletes. Becoming a head coach for the first time is a dream come true and am grateful for everything Columbia has done for me to help accomplish that goal." 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.