Monroe Mustangs Men’s Basketball Coaches Brustad and Barrett Named to 50 Most Impactful Coaches in J

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 17, 2020 – Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball coaches, head coach Jeff Brustad and assistant coach James Barrett, were both named to the 50 Most Impactful Coaches in JUCO Men's Basketball list by Silver Waves Media, as announced on Wednesday.

The 50 Most Impactful Coaches in JUCO Men's Basketball list is a list, not a ranking, of 50 current junior college men's basketball coaches that have made and continue to make an outstanding impact on their players, programs, and the game itself. Brustad earned his second straight Region XV Coach of the Year award, and the 12th of his career at Monroe, in 2019-20. He also took home his eighth career District Coach of the Year award this season. His awards go hand-in-hand with the team's accomplishments, having won 12 Region XV Titles and eight District Championships during his tenure. The Mustangs had a 24-9 overall record under Brustad's tutelage in 2019-20, having won nine straight games en route to Region XV and East District Championships. He was set to guide the Mustangs to the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament for the eighth time before the tournament as canceled. Brustad's teams have never won fewer than 20 games in a season throughout his 18-year run at Monroe. Brustad has coaches two players that have gone on to play in the NBA, as well as 13 NJCAA All-Americans, mostly recently Juan Felix Rodriguez, who made the NJCAA All-America Team in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. Barrett has deep roots in the empire state and northeast region in general. A former assistant at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn that has produced many high level players, and on the EYBL circuit with the New York Rens, Barrett has developed meaningful relationships within the tight-knit basketball community that makes up the region. Barrett took his relationships to Seward County, where he was instrumental in developing Seward County's players into leaders in the country. Seward County finished ranked No. 13 nationally after winning the Region 6 championship. Seward also had three players move on to play basketball at Division I institutions. Barrett brings much of that same value to Monroe. The Mustangs earned the East District's automatic bid into the 2019-20 NJCAA eTeamSponsor Division I Men's Basketball Championships in Hutchinson, Kan. after defeating Hagerstown Community College in the District Championship Game. The Mustangs qualified for the East District Championship after defeating Harcum College for the Region XV Title in a double-overtime thriller in Pennsylvania. ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.