Brady talks about LSU ouster

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Almost a year after being fired by LSU, John Brady is still proud of his farewell speech.

“How many of us get to talk at our own funeral?” he said.

Now the coach at Arkansas State, Brady spoke for about a half-hour at the Downtown Tip Off Club on Monday. He talked at length about his hopes for his new team but, toward the end, the discussion turned to his former school. Brady was fired last February after more than a decade at LSU.

“I will never apologize for the 10½ years I was there,” Brady said. “I left there in the right way. I feel good about it. They’re still paying me for three more years. So it all worked out.”

When he was let go, Brady appeared at a news conference and said he respected his athletic director’s decision to fire him. He quickly moved on to another job, but he pointed to this season’s LSU team for a bit of vindication. The Tigers are 15-4, 3-1 in Southeastern Conference play.

“A coach gets fired when the program’s in disarray,” Brady said. “That program’s not in disarray.”

Arkansas State was in reasonably bad shape last season, going 10-20. It’s a different story now. The Red Wolves are 13-7 in their first season under Brady and have a winning record in the Sun Belt Conference.

Arkansas State’s next game is Thursday night against Western Kentucky, which reached the NCAA round of 16 last year.

This season’s Sun Belt tournament is in Hot Springs, which could give both Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock an advantage. Brady would like Arkansas State to become an NCAA tournament Cinderella, like Davidson and George Mason in recent years.

“Who ever heard of George Mason?” Brady said. “And they go to the Final Four.”

That was in 2006, when Brady’s LSU team reached the Final Four as well before losing to UCLA in the semifinals. Brady said he regrets not allowing his team to enjoy the experience more as it prepared for its game.

“I probably screwed that up,” he said, “but coaching in the Final Four is an experience I’ll never forget.”

The Tip Off Club honors high school players at its luncheons, and Brady didn’t waste an opportunity for a thinly veiled recruiting pitch on behalf of his Red Wolves, who are often overshadowed by the Arkansas Razorbacks from across the state.

“You can play college basketball almost anywhere,” Brady said. “If you’re good enough, they’ll find you.”

Speaking to a room full of Razorbacks fans, Brady wasn’t about to be confrontational about any in-state rivalry.

“All I’m here to do is try to add to this state and give it something else to be proud of,” Brady said.

He’s also trying to get his career back on track, and so far he’s having a good deal of success. That can be fleeting, though, as Brady knows all too well.

“I’m all for coaches getting whatever they can get, because I know how quickly it can turn,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve been there.”