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          Isaac Brown gets five-year deal to be men's basketball coach at Wichita State

          • Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 26, 2021, 08:58 PM
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          Wichita State has removed the interim tag from Isaac Brown, promoting him to the Shockers' permanent head-coaching position on Friday.

          Brown has verbally agreed to a five-year deal, the school announced Friday. The deal is worth $6 million, a source told ESPN's Rece Davis.

          Brown took over as Wichita State's interim head coach in November, after Gregg Marshall resigned following an internal investigation into allegations of physical and verbal abuse. The Shockers were picked seventh in the American Athletic Conference in the preseason, when Marshall was still head coach, but Brown has Wichita State atop the AAC standings with two games left in the regular season.

          Boatright made the announcement to the team on Friday afternoon.

          "None of this would have been possible without you guys," Brown told the team after Boatright's announcement. "And it's not about the wins and the losses, it's more about you guys being good people and doing exactly what you're supposed to do, on and off the court, the way you carry yourself. ... We just want to help you guys accomplish all that you can accomplish.

          "Now, let's get to business, because we have a championship to win."

          The Shockers have won five games in a row and 12 of their past 14 games, and Brown has them in the mix for a potential NCAA tournament berth. They beat then-No. 6 Houston on Feb. 18, adding a marquee win to their profile.

          When Brown is formally introduced as head coach Monday, he will become the first Black men's basketball coach to lead a Division I program in the state of Kansas, according to the school.

          Brown has been at Wichita State since 2014, spending six seasons as an assistant coach under Marshall. Prior to joining the Shockers' staff, Brown spent time as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Arkansas and South Alabama.

          Wichita State is 13-4 overall and 9-2 in the AAC; the Shockers have the weekend off but face road games at Tulane and Temple next week.