The newest head coach in Bradley women’s basketball history already has helped the program make history. Michael Brooks, a member of the Braves’ staff for the program’s first two postseason tournament appearances, has been named Bradley’s eighth women’s basketball head coach.
Brooks was an assistant coach at Bradley this past season, helping the Braves to an 18-16 overall record, the fifth-best single-season win total in program history, and the program’s first-ever postseason home victory en route to the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational. He was the team’s Director of Operations in 2009-10 when the Braves posted a 17-14 overall record, finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season standings with a 12-6 league record and earned the program’s first-ever postseason appearance. Bradley advanced to the second round of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational by defeating 2009 NCAA Tournament runner-up Louisville in the Cardinals’ final game at Freedom Hall.
In between his two years on the Bradley staff, Brooks was the women’s basketball co-head coach at Central Methodist University during the 2010-11 season, managing all aspects of the varsity and junior varsity squads while specializing in defensive strategy and post play. He also served as an assistant coach for the Eagles during the 2008-09 and 2006-07 seasons.
Brooks is a 2004 graduate of Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and theatre. He was a two-year member of both the football and track teams at Western State after transferring from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Brooks earned his master’s degree in education from Central Methodist in 2009.
A four-year football letterwinner, Brooks began his coaching career on the gridiron in 2005 as an assistant coach at Quincy University. He first arrived at Central Methodist as a football assistant in 2006, coaching running backs and special teams, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coordinator, before transitioning into the women’s basketball staff.
