Vermont State University Lyndon has named Brennen Morton as its new Head Women’s Basketball Coach. Morton, a current assistant with the Hornet men’s basketball program, succeeds Ben Arsenault, who stepped down last month to become the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Spalding University in Louisville, KY.
Morton is entering his seventh season as a part of the Lyndon coaching staff. He is currently an assistant coach with the men’s program, a role that he held from 2015 to 2017, and from 2021 until the present. He also served as an assistant with the women’s program from 2017 to 2019. He has been involved with all aspects of both programs, including player development, recruiting, scouting and game preparation, fundraising, and community service. He has also been an assistant director of the VTSU Lyndon Hornets Summer Basketball Camp.
Lyndon’s men’s team qualified for the North Atlantic Conference playoffs in each of Morton’s four previous seasons on the coaching staff. He was integral in the recruitment and development of two NAC Rookies of the Year, Kevin Love (Bristol, CT) in 2015-16, and Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) in 2022-23. He also coached and helped develop two NAC Senior Scholar Athletes of the Year, Zach Falkenburg (Kirkville, NY) in 2021-22 and Antonio Carlisle (St. Johnsbury, VT) in 2022-23, and three All-Conference performers, Charles Correa Jr. (Prospect Heights, RI) in 2016-17, Falkenburg in 2021-22, and Peyton Olsen (Middleburgh, NY) in 2022-23.
Morton also made a substantial impact on the Hornet women’s basketball program in his two seasons on the women’s staff. The Hornets also qualified for the NAC playoffs in each season, advancing to the conference semi-finals in 2018-19. He played a prominent role in the development of 2017-18 NAC Player of the Year and D3hoops.com All-New England selection Mikayla Hodge (Newbury, VT). He recruited and coached the 2018-19 NAC Rookie of the Year, Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, NH), the 2018-19 NAC Defensive Player of the Year, Alissa Mitchell (Milton, NH), and three All-Conference players, Hodge, Mitchell, and Crompton. He briefly served as the team’s interim head coach.
Prior to his arrival at Lyndon, Morton spent two seasons as an assistant men’s coach at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, ME. During his tenure at Central Maine, the Mustangs compiled a 45-16 overall record and a 24-5 mark in Yankee Small College Conference play. Central Maine captured the 2013-14 YSCC regular season and tournament championships and earned a berth in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national tournament. He recruited and coached the conference Player of the Year and four All-Conference selections.
Morton is excited to lead his own program. “I am thrilled and honored to be the next head coach of Lyndon’s women’s basketball team. It has always been a lifelong dream to be a head college coach. It feels surreal that this dream has come true and I am excited to start this new journey.”
VTSU Lyndon Athletic Director Chris Gilmore sees Morton’s experiences at Lyndon as valuable to hitting the ground running with the women. “Brennen has been an integral part of Lyndon basketball for over eight years. He has been an assistant in both our Men’s and Women’s basketball programs distinguishing himself as a vital asset to both programs. His hard work and dedication to our programs has not gone unnoticed. Brennen will bring us the leadership and guidance needed to compete in the North Atlantic Conference. I am excited for our future in women’s basketball under Brennen’s tutelage.”
Hornet Head Men’s Basketball Coach David Pasiak added “There is no question that Brennen is ready to be a head coach. He has been a tremendous asset to our program these past couple of years. He has great technical knowledge and is outstanding with skill development, scouting, game planning, and all of the behind the scenes responsibilities that coaches have. But most importantly, he relates extremely well to young student athletes. Our women will love playing for him and he will no doubt bring the best out of them.”
Morton is a 2011 graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He played two seasons for the Owls and was named an Academic All-American. He shot 45% from the three-point line during his senior season. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He finished with a 3.92 GPA and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
Morton began his college career at Central Maine. He played for two seasons with the Mustangs and was an Academic All-American and a member of the 2009-10 YSCC championship team.
Morton was a three-time All-Conference player at Our Lady of Fatima High School in Warren, RI. He scored over 1,200 points in his career and made 102 three-point goals. He averaged over 20 points per game for his career, and tied a state record by making 13 three-pointers in a single game.
Morton holds a Master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in sports psychology. He holds special education licensure from the state of Vermont and works as a special educator at Miller’s Run School in Sheffield, VT.
Morton will make his debut on November 8th, when the Hornets host Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in their season opener.
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