Brown, Herb

Herbert Brown

On April 30, 2006, Herb Brown was inducted into the United States Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, joining his younger brother, the New York Knicks head coach Larry Brown. Ignoring the danger posed by the spectre of terrorism in Israel, Herb was head coach of the U.S. basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2001 Maccabiah Games (he had previously coached the 1997 team to a bronze medal).

Although some players withdrew from the USA Maccabiah squad for security reasons, Brown asked others to play. He remembers that "...it was 24 hours a day of relentlessly trying to persuade players that Israel is an experience they shouldn't miss and reassuring anxious parents...I felt the U.S. had to be represented with a team here. I was honored to be asked to coach and felt a sense of obligation to the kids who wanted to come over here. I think coming to Israel is a great experience and for a young Jewish American athlete, participating in the Maccabiah is part of that." In March 2002, Herb was honored by the National Council of Young Israel in recognition of his support of Israel, and was presented with the Chovevei Yisrael (Lover of Israel) Award.

As an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2001-02 season, Brown helped first-year head coach Maurice Cheeks lead the team to an excellent 49-33 record. In 2003, Herb served as an assistant with the Pistons, after spending two years with the Portland Trail Blazers. He helped his brother Larry Brown lead the Pistons to the NBA Championship. In fact, the most successful seasons of Larry's legendary career came with Herb at his side as a uniquely trusted assistant: Detroit's championship in 2004 and Philadelphia's run to the 2001 finals. Herb is currently an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
A graduate of the University of Vermont (class of 1957), Herb began coaching at C.W. Post as an assistant in 1960. In 1964, Brown took his first head coaching position, at SUNY-Stony Brook, and had a successful five-year tenure with the Sea Wolves. Herb was named Coach of the Year in 1969 after leading the team to both the league and playoff championships. In 1972, he returned to C.W. Post as the head coach, and led the team to records of 21-5 in 1972-73 and 13-12 in 1973-74. The following year, Brown coached the Israel Sabras to the championship in the European Professional Basketball League (an attempt to set up a semi-pro international basketball league).

In 1975, Herb became the head coach of the Detroit Pistons midway through the season. He led the team to a 19-21 record in the final months of the year, and into the post-season (the team had an overall record of 36-46). In the Western Conference playoffs, the Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 2 games to 1 in the first round before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 4-2. Brown then led the Pistons to a record of 44-38 in 1976-77, and back into the playoffs, achieving the franchise's sixth best record in history up to that point, but Detroit lost to Golden State in the first round, 2-1. In 1977-78, Herb began the year as the Pistons' coach, but was replaced only a month into the season, since the team's record was a dismal 9-15.

After his tenure with the Pistons ended, Brown continued to be active in basketball. He coached 15 summers in the Puerto Rico Professional Basketball League, and his teams made the playoffs every year, winning the championship in 1984. Herb is also a seven-time Coach of the Year and the author of two books, Basketball's Box Offense and Preparing for Special Situations. Brown served as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2000-01, and is currently an assistant with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. He also coached the U.S. team at the 1997 and 2001 Maccabiah Games.

Origin:
New York

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