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Photo Courtesy of the Monroe Mustangs Athletics Department
Photo Courtesy of the Monroe Mustangs Athletics Department
Posted: Mar 14, 2025

Mustangs Head Coach Jeff Brustad Named Recipient Of NJCAA Coaches Legacy Award

Story Courtesy of the Monroe Mustangs Sports Information Office

Charlotte, N.C. – Head Coach Jeff Brustad of the Monroe University men's basketball team has been recognized by the National Junior College Athletic Association for its Coaches Legacy Award, which will celebrate the all-time winningest coaches in NJCAA history, the organization announced Monday.
 
This is the first time since 1938 that the NJCAA will recognize the achievements and proud legacy of coaches, past and present, at one time. Brustad will join 21 other men's basketball coaches at the awards ceremony to be held on Tuesday, June 17, in Charlotte.
 
It's a major milestone for the 22-year leader of the Monroe men's basketball team. Since taking the reins of the program ahead of the 2002-03 season, Brustad has compiled a 576-157 record that has included 12 Region XV titles, nine district championships, and ten appearances in the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament — excluding 2020 in which the Mustangs qualified, but couldn't compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
His most recent success came this past weekend when Brustad led the Mustangs to a second half comeback over rival Harcum College in the 2025 East District Tournament Final. In the 77-70 victory, Monroe trailed by nine at halftime before scoring 44 second half points and limiting the Bears to 28, hoisting the district trophy and clinching a berth into the national tournament.
 
In 22 years at the helm, the New York native has built a Northeast powerhouse, sending more than 100 student-athletes onto NCAA Division I programs, including the likes of South Carolina, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence, Oregon, Utah, and many more prominent four-year schools.
 
Over the years, he has bolstered a roster featuring 14 NJCAA Division I All-Americans, with seven student-athletes being named Region XV Player of the Year. Sixty-four players have been named to the All-Region XV Team since his inaugural season in 2002-03.
 
Brustad has been named District Coach of the Year on nine different occasions and Region XV Coach of the Year 13 times. His most successful season in charge came during the 2010-11 season, where the Mustangs placed third at the national tournament. The year following the program's highest placement on the national stage, Brustad led the Mustangs to a 33-4 overall record — its highest-ever win total.
 
Prior to taking over the program, Brustad endured an 11-21 season as an assistant in the 2001-02 season. After getting hired over the offseason, Brustad led a 20-win turnaround (31-3 overall record) en route to the program's first ever NJCAA National Tournament appearance. From there, the Mustangs became a mainstay in representing the Northeast at the national stage.