Recruiting, relationships spurred Brenden Straughn’s swift ascension to SU assistant

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It’s just before 5 p.m. when Brenden Straughn squeezes back into his 2005 Nissan Altima.

It’s 2016 and Straughn’s been awake for 11 hours — nine of which were spent in a cubicle — with practice starting soon. A clutter of shoe boxes, jerseys and basketball-filled duffel bags occupy a crowded trunk, making up most of each session’s essentials. The rest have to be picked up.

As a then-26-year-old assistant coach for Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Maryland), Straughn begins roaming the Washington metropolitan area for players needing a ride. His route is ever-changing, but Straughn rarely arrives late to practice. He coaches until 9 p.m., then stays behind for individual workout drills, knowing full well tomorrow’s alarm goes off at 6 a.m.

Yet, there’s a special type of solace in staying the course and maintaining one routine, Straughn said. It helped him consistently go the extra mile and get ahead.

Ask anyone today ‘Why Brenden?’ and you’ll get the same answer. Coaches clamor after his ability to recruit the Washington metropolitan — or “DMV” — area and his intricate attention to on-court detail on either side of the ball. They’re charmed by his confident feel for the game and simultaneous humility. Those who seek his one-off opinion often come back for more. He’s also a master evaluator of talent, they say.

The seemingly infinite list of praise-worthy qualities remains endless. And few are shocked that he’s an assistant at Syracuse on the cusp of turning 34.

“He’s got the IQ, he’s got the work ethic, he’s got the personality and soft skills that you need,” former Eleanor Roosevelt head coach Brendan O’Connell said. “So no, I’m not surprised.”

Brenden Straughn’s strong ability to recruit and build relationships led to SU head coach Adrian Autry hiring him to join Syracuse’s coaching staff. Photograph Courtesy of SU Athletics

Straughn’s yearn to coach stemmed from a pursuit to rediscover the rush of competition. It’s what he relished most during his four-year playing career at Division III Hood College (Maryland).

During offseasons, between pick-up games at neighboring campuses and local gyms to stay in shape, Straughn began working camps for pocket change. He’d pick up a couple hundred dollars each week participating in clinics at the University of Maryland and the Naval Academy.

Then came the real world after school ended — a day job at wealth management firm Merill Lynch in Baltimore. Athletic shorts were swapped out for dress pants, but he refused to retire his coaching whistle.

Straughn’s 9-to-5 never got in the way of his initial coaching stints at Eleanor Roosevelt and Team Takeover, a local AAU powerhouse. Essentially a volunteer for both teams, he’d use the steady pay at Merrill Lynch to fund any basketball-related ventures. Gas, flights and train tickets came out of his own pocket. Straughn remembered saving all of his paid time off for when Takeover traveled to summer tournaments.

Originally assigned to Takeover’s eighth grade team, Straughn rose quickly. He showed up at every practice — even for age groups he didn’t coach — to help out, talk to players and meet their families. He visited gyms around the area, constantly coaxing big names to join.

“I was willing to do anything. Everything and anything,” Straughn said. “Every kid in our organization knew who I was, every parent in our organization knew who I was. I was there every day.”

Gradually, his role increased. He graduated from folding laundry in Atlantic City for the eighth graders and began compiling scouting reports in Las Vegas for Takeover’s 17-and-under squad. Administrative duties — like ordering branded gear and booking hotel rooms — fell to Straughn too.

“I missed a lot of parties — birthday parties, road trips, concerts, family reunions,” Straughn said. “I missed a lot of hanging out.”

All the while, Straughn continued networking. His connections include camp counselor peers from his playing days to top-flight Nike executives. His insatiable appetite for feedback and advice makes him a great listener and conversationalist. There’s a laid-back, genuine air about Straughn when he talks because no other exchange trumps the one he’s having at that moment. Eye contact is maintained. Laughs are shared.

“He’s just a good human being,” Saint Joseph’s head coach Billy Lange said. “He’s a trusted person.”

After six years as a Philadelphia 76ers assistant, Lange planned to recruit the talent-rich DMV upon earning the job at Saint Joseph’s in 2019. But he didn’t know where to start. And so began a quest for personnel equipped with a respected presence and vast knowledge of the area. Straughn’s name kept popping up.

Lange — a former head coach at the Naval Academy — initially didn’t realize that his new hire used to work the camps he ran a near-decade ago. Straughn said he’s had a lot of these “full-circle moments.”

Within months of coming on board, Straughn led the effort in flipping former unranked recruit Cameron Brown to Saint Joseph’s. The 6-foot-6 guard was committed to William & Mary but changed his mind after developing a relationship with Straughn. Brown is now a graduate student with the Hawks, ranking ninth all-time in career 3-pointers made at the school.

Straughn’s relentless insistence on picking Lange’s brain resulted in the creation of impressive pregame schemes. A grasp on NBA-style spacing, analytics and how to execute efficient pick-and-roll offenses were digested. Mutual trust developed. While scoping out talent at AAU tournaments, Lange marveled when Straughn memorized pages of rosters and sleuthed out recurrent plays.

“He’s a great learner and wants to understand things at a deeper level,” Lange said. “He’s not a guy that just answers you quickly, either. He has real substance behind things that he believes in.”

Those steady streams of curious questions persisted when Straughn left for a lead assistant job at Atlantic 10 conference foe George Washington in 2022. First-year head coach Chris Caputo hired him for an amplified chance at signing top local recruits — just as Lange had done a few seasons prior. Under Caputo, Straughn learned more about the ins and outs of helming a college program and how to build one from the ground up.

In between the lines, Straughn tossed out expired gameplans and implemented a fresh offensive system. Emphasis on utilizing GW’s guard-heavy scorers saw immediate results. That season, the Revolutionaries won 16 games to secure their first winning A-10 record in six years.

“He’s not just a recruiter but he’s a guy that really knows the game and is hard working,” Caputo said. “He’s growing as a coach and has a tremendous feel for players and their development. It’s an absolute home run hire by Syracuse.”

SU head coach Adrian Autry didn’t need much convincing when Straughn started recruiting his son, Trey Autry, to George Washington. When Autry was an assistant under then-head coach Jim Boeheim, Straughn would tip him off about budding talent in the DMV. Conversations over the phone entailed constant back-and-forth on potential prospects. Autry kept confiding in Straughn once realizing his opinions were usually correct. Trey was in good hands.

Straughn connected with Autry’s family on a level deeper than basketball. When he wasn’t providing tips for Trey to capitalize on his bullish frame, Straughn presented resourceful feedback spanning a wide variety of topics. He easily won over Autry’s wife, Andrea, too.

Watching from afar, the quiet lore of Straughn’s personability and relationship-building made sense to Autry now. He was the perfect applicant.

“Without really knowing it, he was interviewing me throughout the course of the previous five years,” Straughn joked. “What type of work ethic, what type of character, what type of coach.”

Somewhere between organizing recruiting visits and keenly surveying the Carmelo K. Anthony Center’s weight room to encourage whoever’s lifting, Straughn’s mind is always racing.

He isn’t worrying about the tardy timing of outbound trains from Baltimore, nor how to navigate unfamiliar streets to pick up his players before practice. Those days — along with blazers, dress shoes and day jobs — are long behind Straughn. He prefers sweatsuits now.

Typically, practice begins in the late afternoon — and on game days — shootaround commences at 12:30 p.m. When the necessary details are ironed out and each crease is attended to, Straughn sees it fit to head home.

Not in that trusty Nissan Altima, but in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. This one’s smoke gray.

“Stay the course, keep the main thing the main thing, and be a guy of strong character, value relationships,” Straughn said. “Through the experiences I’ll continue to gain, I’ll be able to run my own program one day.”