By MICHAEL COLLINS
Editor
Only 11 days after releasing longtime coach Andrew Brown, Northwestern has found its next coach to lead the Rangers in the coming years.
After 19 years away from coaching the game of basketball, former vice president for student affairs and enrollment management Brad Franz was introduced Tuesday as the new men’s basketball coach at a morning press conference.
“There was only one coaching position that could bring me back to the bench, and it was at Northwestern,” Franz said. “My love for Northwestern began as a student and has stayed with me since that time. I am honored to be selected to lead the basketball program and want to thank Dr. Janet Cunningham and Andy Carter for this opportunity. My family and I are truly excited to be a part of the Ranger family again.”
Announcing the new hire, Northwestern president Janet Cunningham said, “Sometimes life makes a full circle, and I believe that’s what has happened here today.”
Franz returns to Northwestern after leaving the university two years ago to accept the position of Vice President of Instruction at Otero (Colo.) Junior College in July of 2013. Cunningham praised Franz for his work as an administrator, especially in strengthening the University’s student recruitment and retention strategies, along with efforts to improve student life.
“What we have in Brad Franz is a proven winner,” Andrew Carter, director of athletics, said. “Brad has a great record as a collegiate coach, is a tremendous recruiter, and will bring an intensity and sense of urgency to our program. He knows our league, he knows the culture of Northwestern, and he knows what it will take to be successful.”
Franz last coached in 1996 at Otero (Colo.) Junior College before moving into administrative roles there and at Northwestern, but he remained a visible part of the basketball scene as a nationally-respected talent scout, providing coaches with reports on the nation’s top junior college and high school players.
“There’s a commitment to winning the right way at Northwestern. I know we can be competitive with great young men who will graduate and understand what an honor it is to wear a red and black jersey” said Franz.
Franz was head coach and athletic director at Otero from 1991-96, compiling an 88-56 (.636) record, while leading the school to its first-ever conference title and a pair of second-place finishes. His teams played in the postseason all five years, including two final four appearances in the NJCAA Region IX tournament.
The last three seasons of Franz’s tenure at Otero were particularly stellar. His 1993-94 team compiled a 22-7 record, the school’s best ever, and was ranked in the top 25. That team also was ranked No. 5 nationally in team defense.
His 1994-95 team was 21-9, and seven of his sophomores signed early with NCAA Division I schools.
During that three-year period, all 25 of his sophomores graduated from Otero and moved on to four-year schools, including 15 that played at the Division I level.
Franz earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern. He and his wife Lisa, also a Northwestern graduate, have three children: a son Jordan, and daughters Cecely and Aleysa.