Jean Bain, in his second year on the bench for the Brandeis men's basketball program, has a Judges team which is on a roll. Brandeis athletics photo

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Jean Bain took over as the head coach of the Brandeis men’s basketball team at a time when the program was trying to pick up the pieces. The Judges had been through a fourth consecutive losing season as well as the termination of a head coach amid allegations that included unprofessional behavior and racially biased harassment.

A little over two years later, the Judges have put that troubled time in the rearview mirror and have thrived, looking like a decidedly different team. They are on their way to a second straight winning season with an 11-3 record and are unbeaten in their last six games.

It wasn’t easy to erase the adversity and mold this program into a winner again, but Bain and his players embraced the challenge in front of it and made it happen.

“The biggest challenge was letting the kids know that we care,” Bain said. “They had gone through a lot and we showed them that we not only care about them as basketball players but we care about them as human beings, and we want them to be successful on and off the court. That was important in changing the culture.”

Colin Sawyer has connected on more than half of his 3-point shots this season. Brandeis athletics photo

Colin Sawyer, one of three senior captains along with Eric D’Aguanno and Chandler Jones, remembers those difficult days prior to Bain’s arrival. He and his teammates weren’t sure what to think about the new era ahead with Bain as the head coach.

“We knew it was going to be a change because we would be playing for a coach that we weren’t recruited by, but we all approached it with an open mind,” Sawyer said. “Our senior captains last year, Latye Workman and Corey Sherman, were positive and told us to go out and play hard and get through it.”

Brandeis has indeed gotten through it. The Judges produced an 18-11 campaign a season ago, including a 7-7 mark in the UAA, and are off to a 3-0 start in conference play this season.

“It was definitely nice to finish last season with some momentum and we took that and realized our potential as a team,” Sawyer said. “We realized we are capable of winning games.”

No win has been bigger this season than a stunning 75-73 victory over then third-ranked Emory. Ten ties and 11 lead changes were part of the wild win that ended with D’Aguanno scoring off a last-second putback.

“That was really cool. A lot of fun,” Sawyer said. “Every game in this conference matters because we don’t have a conference tournament, and to win one like that, it means a lot.”

Bain told his team before the game that the showdown with Emory presented a great opportunity for the Judges, and yet, his team didn’t approach that game any different than the others on its schedule.

“From day one, I’ve told these guys we are going to approach every practice and every game the same way," Bain said. “The Emory game was just the next game on the schedule. One day you can you feel high and the next day you can feel low. It’s all about keeping the right mindset, playing as hard as we can and let the chips fall where they may. That is the approach we are sticking with.”

Sawyer is the leading scorer on the team at 15.2 points per outing. Jones is pouring in 14.7 points per game and D’Aguanno checks in with a scoring average of 11.4.

The contributions of those three seniors have been vital in not only providing positive results on the scoreboard, but they have set an example for the younger players as well.

“They have provided tremendous leadership on and off the court,” Bain said. “They have shown the younger players how we do things here and the importance of practice and studying the scouting report. Those younger guys have bought in and have stepped up, too.”

Sawyer said he tries to bring his best to the gym every day and lead by example.

“I try to help set the tone. If I’m playing hard and practicing hard, other players are going to see that,” Sawyer said. “I’m not the most vocal guy, but if I can show I’m working hard, the younger guys can learn from that.”

This is a Brandeis team that has also learned to compete at a high level. Bain believes the adversity this team dealt with in the past has paid dividends in the present.

“The competitiveness of the guys has impressed me. They fight hard every day,” Bain said. “We’ve won some close games, and that’s had to do with them believing in each other and playing for one another. The kids have shown they can deal with adversity. That’s a big part of why we have been successful.”

Playing tough defensively has been instrumental to Brandeis’ success as well.

The Judges are giving up 66.9 points per game and have held four opponents to under 70 points during their win streak.

“I would say our defense plays a major role in a lot of our success,” Sawyer said. “A lot of our offense starts because of our defense. We take pride in our ability to challenge other teams defensively.”

With a little over a month left in the regular season, the Judges understand there is still work to be done. Complacency isn’t an option, even with a return to the national rankings for the first time in seven years. They check in at No. 24 this week and are off to their best start since the 2012-13 season when they soared to as high as No. 19 nationally.

A showdown with 13th-ranked Washington University awaits on Friday.

“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Sawyer said. “We’re ranked now but at the end of the day that doesn’t change anything. It’s just a number. We have to continue to prove ourselves every day and keep the ball rolling.”

Still, considering where Brandeis was less than two years ago, to be in the spotlight again is meaningful and rewarding.

“It’s very satisfying,” Bain said. “The biggest teaching point from all of this is life isn’t easy. There are going to be good and bad days, but you have to approach each one the same way and with the same mindset. We have great kids and they have all bought in. That’s why we’ve had success in building this thing the right way.”

Sawyer sits back at times and thinks about the journey as well.

“It’s absolutely awesome to look at where we started in those first two years I was here, and we didn’t crack double-digit wins, to now the last couple of years we’ve done it twice," Sawyer said. "I’m glad I’m a part of it and I want to see the program continue to succeed.”