What will assistant coach Brett MacConnell bring to Stanford Men's Basketball?

Stanford men’s basketball has a new assistant coach in Brett MacConnell, who spent 13 years at Princeton, seven of which were as associate head coach. MacConnell brings a wealth of experience from his days at Princeton and should be a tremendous addition to head coach Kyle Smith’s coaching staff. 

“Brett MacConnell is an excellent fit for the Stanford basketball program,” Smith said in the team release. “He comes to the farm from one of the most storied and successful programs in college basketball and worked under Mitch Henderson for the past 13 seasons, helping lead the Tigers to multiple Ivy League championships and a sweet 16 appearance in 2023. 

“With the success he achieved with the Princeton program, it is a logical and well-earned position in the Stanford program. Although Princeton competed in the Ivy League, Brett helped build rosters with NBA players and multiple players of the year without athletic scholarships. This specialized skill will help build the Cardinal program in much the same way: high major athletes that are also high major students, striving for excellence in all areas. We are looking [forward] to adding Brett and his family to the Farm!”

Starting in 2015, MacConnell served as Princeton’s recruiting coordinator, so he brings a strong background on the recruiting side. He knows how to recruit quality players to a high academic school with Princeton being an Ivy League school and one of the top universities in the world. 

On top of being able to recruit, MacConnell also knows how to develop players. The following excerpt from his Princeton bio should give you a taste of his chops on that front: 

With MacConnell on staff at Princeton the Tigers have become known for their player development. Some of the players who have significantly elevated their games under MacConnell include:

Tosan Evbuomwan ‘23

Freshman year: 3.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.9 apg

Junior year: 16.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.1 apg (Ivy Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy & All-District)

Senior year: 15.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.0 apg (Ivy Madness MOP, First Team All-Ivy & All-District)

Xaivian Lee ‘26

Freshman year: 4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.9 apg

Sophomore year: 17.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg (First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-District)

Caden Pierce ‘26

Freshman year: 8.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 apg (Ivy Rookie of the Year)

Sophomore year: 16.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.2 apg (Ivy Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-District)

Richmond Aririguzoh ‘20

Freshman year: 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.3 apg

Sophomore year: 2.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 apg

Junior year: 12.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 apg (Second Team All-Ivy)

Senior year: 12.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.2 apg (First Team All-Ivy, Second Team All-District)

In addition to being a coach that can recruit and develop players, MacConnell also has been a part of four NCAA tournament teams at Princeton under head coach Mitch Henderson, so he knows what it takes to build a winning and NCAA tournament level roster. He’s been a part of some big NCAA tournament wins and has a ton of experience with respect to winning in the month of March.

“Brett I’ve known a long time. They got the best of us when I was at Columbia. I got a lot of respect for Princeton and his recruiting, he was there 13 years,” Smith said earlier this month when talking to a group of reporters. “So he’s really in this lane kinda geared up for Stanford. Now he actually has scholarships and money to offer, but he knows where the high academic guys are globally. He’s helped us a lot in that area. Just a really savvy veteran. Even though he hasn’t recruited at a high major level, but Princeton has had, Tosan is in the NBA, they went to the Sweet Sixteen. Xaivian Lee is at Florida. So, he kinda understands that, I didn’t realize I had been gone for a while. Been eight years. It’s nice to connect with some of those guys.” 

All around, I think Brett MacConnell is a fantastic addition to Kyle Smith’s coaching staff at Stanford. He has a track record in recruiting and player development. Something that is not as easy of a combination to find as one might think. Plus, he brings Ivy League experience that should fit Stanford like a glove. I look forward to seeing how he impacts Stanford both on the recruiting trail and with respect to their player development. 

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