For the past 11 seasons, Bart Brooks has been a familiar face on the DePaul women’s basketball bench as an assistant coach for head coach Doug Bruno.
Next season, Brooks will be a head coach himself.
Brooks was announced as the new head coach of the Belmont University women’s basketball team on Monday.
“Bart is a very intelligent human being … He is also very emotionally intelligent and emotionally stable, so he brings a blend of mental intellect and emotional intellect to the game,” Bruno said. “He’s a high character human being with really, really great values. So, he’s going to treat his players properly in the quest to help them help themselves get better.”
Brooks was brought on to the DePaul staff in May of 2007 as Director of Basketball, but was later promoted to an assistant coach and stayed on staff for 11 seasons. Over those seasons, Brooks helped see the Demons to a 212-92 record and 11 straight NCAA tournaments. DePaul women’s head coach Doug Bruno believes Brooks will bring great character and intelligence to the head coaching spot.
In an interview with Belmont’s director of mass communication Rich Tiner, Brooks shared how helping a successful DePaul program will help him bring similar success to Belmont.
“The thing that we do at DePaul that’s really similar to what’s going to be successful here at Belmont is we surrounded ourselves with great people, and that’s coaching staff and that’s players and that’s how I know how to be successful,” Brooks said. “I think that experience will prepare me to take this program to a level similar to the level of DePaul.”
Brooks will take over the position from Cam Newbauer, who coached the Bruins in the Ohio Valley Conference for four seasons, including a 51-5 record over the last two seasons and two straight NCAA tournament appearances. Brooks said he was close with Newbauer, who just became the head coach of Florida, so he was following the Bruins before he came and that made it an easy decision when the job became available.
“Cam Newbauer is a friend of mine so I’m familiar with Belmont, as Cam got the job four years ago … I’ve followed the program through him. When he left, the job was open and I was contacted about any interest, took me about half a second to say ‘yeah, I’m interested’. So, the rest is history at that point,” Brooks said.
Brooks will be the fifth head women’s basketball coach in Bruins history. Brooks was announced as the new head coach on April 24 by Belmont’s Director of Athletics Scott Corley. Corley echoed many of coach Bruno’s thoughts on Brooks during the announcement.
“Bart embodies everything we were looking for in a candidate: high character, enthusiasm, passion for players and a winning pedigree on the court. He is the right person to lead this program and build upon the incredible momentum it has achieved,” said Corley.
While it has been a quick process, Brooks is certainly excited for this new opportunity.
“It’s been a whirlwind … It’s been one of those things that I didn’t necessarily plan, but when it became evident that this could happen the excitement just started to grow and grow and grow,” Brooks said. “Now that it is here, I am elated, exited and can’t wait to get started. I have an amazing group of young women that I get to coach and I am so blessed to be here.”