March 29, 2005
Release courtesy of Darren Miller, Cornell College sports information director

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . Brent Brase (pronounced BRA-zee), the most successful basketball coach in Coe College history, has been named the head women’s basketball coach at Cornell College, his alma mater. Brase replaces Nicole Kotrba, who resigned at the end of the season with a three-year record of 16-59. The Rams were 0-24 in 2004-05.

“Coach Brase brings a tremendous amount of energy and experience to our program, and he will make an immediate and positive impact,” Cornell athletics director Tina Hill said. “His passion for the game is contagious, and I’m confident that he will lead our women’s basketball program in the right direction.”

Brase, a 1990 Cornell graduate, spent the past 11 seasons coaching the Kohawk men to a record of 146-131. Coe was 90-50 in Iowa Conference games the past seven seasons. Brase had a record of 20-4 against Cornell.

“This is an exciting challenge, and I think we can get it turned around right away,” Brase said. “Cornell is a diamond in the rough. We should be able to attract the best Iowa talent, but we’ll still go out of state, which has been one of Cornell’s strengths.”

Before taking the helm at Coe, Brase served as an assistant men’s coach at both Cornell and Coe and as the head boys’ basketball coach at Anamosa (Iowa) High School. Brase helped guide the 1990-91 Kohawks to a south division tournament berth and the 1993-94 Rams to the Midwest Conference Championship and the NCAA Division III tournament. In two years at Anamosa, Brase compiled a record of 27-13 and was named Big Bend Coach of the Year in 1991-92.

Brase is a 1986 graduate of Wapise Valley (Iowa) High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and secondary education from Cornell in 1990. He received a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Iowa in 1992.
This year Coe was 14-13 and advanced to the Iowa Conference semifinals before losing by two points to eventual runner-up Wartburg. The Kohawks were in the Iowa Conference championship game in 2000.

Brase, who resides in Mount Vernon, is known as an outstanding recruiter and camp clinician. Featured speakers at his camps have included Iowa wrestling legend Dan Gable, Hawkeye men’s basketball coach Steve Alford and University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball coach Greg McDermott.

“I’m looking forward to working with Tina Hill and the rest of the Cornell administration,” Brase said. “I feel very confident that we’ll make this program nationally competitive in the upcoming years.”

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