(pictured, left to right: Ben Beauchamp, Blake Fernandez, Jerry Brown, Donald Brady)
CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington men's basketball head coach
David Riley announced on Tuesday the hiring of two new assistant coaches and promotion of two existing staff members. Joining the Eagles will be
Jerry Brown from the University of Denver and
Donald Brady from Bellevue College while
Ben Beauchamp and
Blake Fernandez will take on new assistant coach titles.
"Our staff brings a well rounded approach to the game and I'm excited to work with them," said Riley. "We spend a lot of time with the players and I'm lucky I get to have these coaches around who can mentor the guys."
Brown and Brady fill spots on the staff vacated by former assistants Mark Darnall and Arturo Ormond. Darnall is now the head coach at Jessup University in California while Ormond joined the staff at the University of Portland. Assistant coach Pedro Garcia Rosado remains with the Eagles in the same capacity.
Jerry Brown — Assistant Coach
Brown was an assistant coach with the Denver Pioneers in 2022-23 after time as an assistant at the University of San Diego. Denver went 15-17 and had four matchups (2-2 record) against Big Sky opponents, including wins over Idaho and Idaho State. The Pioneers ranked first in the Summit League in field goal percentage (48.7) and rebound margin, and second in effective field goal percentage (52.9) and fastbreak points per game (9.09).
"Jerry brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to our team and his approach to coaching aligns with what we are about in our program," Riley noted.
Prior to Denver, Brown served three seasons as an assistant at the University of San Diego (2019-22). He also boasts stints as Director of Player Development at Stanford (2019), Director of Scouting and Game Preparation at UTEP (2018-19), video coordinator for the NBA's Detroit Pistons (2017-18) and operations manager for Team Esface Basketball Academy in Redwood City, Calif. (2016-17).
Originally from Richmond, Calif, Brown played three seasons at Fresno State (2009-13) and one at Santa Clara (2013-14). He was Santa Clara's leading rebounder and ranked second in blocks and free throw attempts. At Fresno, he earned the team's Defender of the Year Award in 2013 and was named All-WAC Fourth Team by College Sports Madness in 2011-12.
He went on to play professionally overseas for BCGO in France (2014-15) and the Iserlohn Kangaroos in Germany (2015-16).
Brown earned his bachelor's degree from Fresno State in 2013 and master's degree from Santa Clara in 2015.
Donald Brady — Assistant Coach
Brady arrives at Eastern after a five-year tenure as head coach of Bellevue (Wash.) College of the NWAC (2018-23). Under his leadership, the Bulldogs went 72-60 (35-36 in conference), including a stellar 45-17 (18-10) mark over the last two seasons, culminating in an 85-71 victory over Everett to win the 2023 NWAC Championship, the program's first conference title in 30 years. The championship game appearance was the second of back-to-back as Bellevue finished runner-up in 2022. The 2023 championship also earned Brady NWAC Coach of the Year honors.
"Donald is a great coach and teacher who has had a lot of success over on the west side as a head coach," Riley continued. "Seeing his teams play has always reminded me of how we play here at Eastern."
Prior to Bellevue, Brady was head coach at Shoreline Community College, also of the NWAC, from 2015-17. He earned North Region Coach of the Year accolades in 2017 after leading the Dolphins to the program's fourth-ever North Region Championship. He was an assistant at Bellevue from 2009-14 and at the University of the Redlands (D-III) from 2007-09.
During his playing career, the Palm Desert, Calif. native was a four-year contributor and two-year captain at the Redlands from 2003-06. He ranks sixth in program history with 370 career assists.
Brady is married to Alyson with two children, Miles and Nick.
Ben Beauchamp — Assistant Coach
Beauchamp earns a title change after joining the Eagles as the program's Director of Player Development and Recruiting Coordinator in 2021. Prior to Eastern, he served on the staff at his alma mater, Western Colorado University, including two seasons as an assistant coach.
"Ben has been a vital part of our team the last two years and has impacted our success in so many ways. I'm happy we get to expand his role and continue to grow the program together."
Originally from Louisville, Colo., he played for Western Colorado from 2015-18 and was a two-time All-RMAC performer, earning All-RMAC First Team his senior season after leading the team in scoring (17.8), 3-pointers (68), assists (3.2), steals (25) and free throws made (125). He earned All-RMAC Second Team his junior year after averaging 18.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. Overall, Beauchamp made 82 starts as a Mountaineer and scored 1,334 points.
He earned his bachelor's degree in exercise sport science from WCU, then a master's degree in sports administration Southeastern Oklahoma State University. After college, he played overseas for CB Marbella in Marbella, Spain.
The Eagles are 41-27 (22-11 Big Sky) during his time on staff, highlighted by the 2022-23 Big Sky Regular Season Championship and 2023 National Invitation Tournament First Round win over Washington State.
Blake Fernandez — Assistant Coach
Fernandez also earns a title change after three seasons on staff, joining Eastern as a graduate assistant under Shantay Legans in 2020 before taking on the Director of Basketball Operations role for the 2022-23 season. Prior to Eastern, he coached at his hometown Mountlake Terrace (Wash.) High School under the legendary Nalin Sood, who has coached at MTHS for over 30 years and served as president of the National High School Basketball Coaches Association.
"Blake has worn many hats in his three years with us and has done an amazing job raising the standard of our program. He'll do a great job working with our guys in his expanded role."
As a player, Fernandez played 47 games (15 starts) in three years at Western Washington University. He was the starting point guard for the 12th-ranked Vikings, helping them achieve their first conference championship and a combined 69-29 record during his three seasons in Bellingham. He transferred from Edmonds Community College, where he helped the Tritons to a 27-6 record in 2014-15.
He earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Western in 2018 and master's in educational leadership from Eastern in 2022.
The Eagles are 57-35 (34-14) with Fernandez on staff, highlighted by the 2022-23 season listed previously as well as a tremendous 2020-21 season that included a Big Sky Tournament Championship and berth to the NCAA Tournament.
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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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