Arkansas State University basketball head coach talks to the Trumann Lions Club about his plans on how to get the Red Wolves to a Sun Belt Championship and NCAA tournament. (Democrat Photo/Mark Randall)

People have been almost apologetic to John Brady since he agreed to come to Jonesboro to coach the Red Wolves.

Brady was hired in March to head the Arkansas State University basketball program following his dismissal as coach at Louisiana State University where he spent the last 10 years and led the Tigers to six postseason appearances, including two SEC championships and a trip to the Final Four.

But far from being overwhelmed by culture shock or seeing the job as a come-down from his last coaching job, the two-time SEC Coach of the Year says the move to Jonesboro has actually been refreshing.

"I told my wife to hurry up and get to Jonesboro because everybody is treating me like Elvis," Brady said. "I walk in a place and everybody recognizes me and they look at you and they don't know what to say or how or if to approach me. They think I'm this serious guy."

Everybody has made him feel right at home and been extremely accommodating, he said.

"People here are genuine," Brady said. "They are friendly, helpful, sincere. I think sometimes at the level where I was you miss that because everybody is always trying to get something from you. They want to be a part of you because of what you do. And I understand it's all about winning. But the approach to winning here is probably going to be a little different than what I have experienced recently. And that's a good thing. That's healthy."

Brady shared his plans for turning the Red Wolves into Sun Belt champions and his philosophy on winning with the Trumann Lions Club on Oct. 1.

During his coaching career Brady has had a history of turning down on their luck basketball programs into consistent winners. He took over a team at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. that had six straight losing seasons and turned them in to winners. He led LSU, which had suffered through four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, to a 28-6 record, an SEC championship and Sweet 16 appearance in just his third season. And in 2005-06, Brady led the Tigers to a 27-9 record and advanced them to the Final Four.

"I've taken over programs that needed reworking and help," Brady said. "That's kind of what I do."

Brady said he was attracted to the job at ASU because he was convinced that he could make a difference and turn ASU into a winner.

"That's why I am here," Brady said. "I want to do something unique and special for this school that they maybe haven't done before. And with everybody's help, who know what might happen."

Brady said he doesn't see any reason why ASU can't be the next Davidson College or Western Kentucky University or George Mason University -- all of which are smaller and lesser known schools who made it to the NCAA Tournament.

"You take Davidson, Western Kentucky, George Mason and Arkansas State and you tell me the difference?" Brady asked. "They don't play in any nice arena. They don't play in an area that appreciates basketball. They don't play in an area where all of you grew up where football was okay but really loves basketball. They don't have that. We have that here in Northeast Arkansas.

"My vision is to do what those schools did -- not just win the SunBelt championship in a year or two -- but to go to an NCAA tournament and win a game or two. And I tell the players that."

Brady said ASU already has a nice facility in the Convocation Center that has been well maintained over the years.

They are in the process right now of renovating the coach's offices, weight room, locker room and adding a film room all of which should go a long way in helping their recruitment efforts.

"The reason is not for my benefit, but for recruitment," Brady said. "Young people today are so visual. They need to see it."

Brady said the key to winning starts with instilling a thought process that lends itself to winning.

He operates on three very simple principles. The first, is to win something every day.

"That's always resonated with me and how I approach what winning is all about," Brady said. "That winning may be something small. It may be getting up every day and going to class. It may be working harder in the weight room today than you did yesterday. I may be showing up on time a little better. Or it may be improving your game in some way. But if you get in to a habit of winning something every day, you create positive reinforcement for yourself. Then, when we are at Western Kentucky and the score is tied with five to go, we can win that battle because we have won all the little wars along the way."

His second principle is that you get what you tolerate.

Brady said he had that sign behind his desk at Samford and LSU so that when his players sat down in front of him they couldn't help but see it.

"To me, that means if I allow things that don't lend itself to winning, that's what I will get," Brady said. "The worse thing a coach can have is a spoiled team. When I stand up and talk to them I am going to express exactly what they need to hear without worry about how they are going to react."

And lastly, is a formula of responsibility plus accountability equals success.

"I don't believe you can have success if you don't hold people accountable," Brady said. "I try to hold them accountable for what they are responsible for doing and then once the game is played those kinds of things have been instilled in them along the way during the course of a well thought out, competitive, organized practice."

Brady said he plans to recruit players within a 300 mile radius and that ASU should be able to sign players from Jackson, Miss., Birmingham and northern Alabama and from St. Louis down into Arkansas.

"I don't think this state produces many players that can help University of Arkansas win an SEC championship," Brady said. "But this state had a knack of producing players that can help us win at the Sun Belt level and help us improve the quality of our team."

The school recently got a commitment from a 6'8" player from Birmingham.

"I don't know that ASU would have been able to sign somebody from Birmingham," Brady said. "But me being here gives us a different spin, a little more credibility, so to speak. We're able to get some players that ASU maybe wouldn't have before."

Brady said he would like to see ASU play Arkansas during the regular season.

At LSU, the Tigers regularly played all of their in-state rivals regardless of what conference they were in.

"It didn't matter," Brady said. "I played them all. And it created a tremendous amount of interest in basketball in the state. So I am on record as playing everyone in the state. Arkansas plays Louisiana-Monroe in football. They pay them $750,000 to come to Little Rock to play football. Why wouldn't you keep that money in-state and help Arkansas State come to Little Rock and they bring 20,000 people? Our beef is not with the hogs. But we'd like a shot in there somewhere and play them somewhere. I think it would be great for the state. Why shouldn't they play? Because Frank Broyles said 30 years ago we're not playing Arkansas State? There is no reason they shouldn't play."

Besides, Brady is 11-7 against the Hogs including four wins in Fayetteville in 11 years.

Brady is encouraging more people to come to the games this season. But the last thing he wants fans to do is sit back and relax and think they have the Sun Belt in the bag just because they have John Brady.

He's not promising he can win the Sun Belt in his first year as head coach.

But what he can promise, is that fans are going to see a change in the team and a new approach and intensity in how hard they play, the purpose with which they play and the plan they have to get to the top of the Sun Belt.

"If you have seen me as coach, I promise you I will do everything that my experience allows me to do in order to bring the kind of basketball program that you deserve and that you want in Jonesboro," Brady said. "The same care and concern and passion that you've seen me have, I'm going to bring it right here to the Convo Center. We're going to have a championship team and something you can be proud of and deserve to have. Hopefully, with all those things together and you helping me do it, we can bring a championship here and go to an NCAA tournament and win a couple of games."