(Sports Illustrated)

Larry Brown has agreed to become the next men’s head basketball coach at SMU, Steve Orsini, SMU’s athletic director, announced in a statement Thursday. Terms of the contract have not yet been released and a press conference has not been set. But, a source said there will be more information Friday.

Brown comes to SMU as the only head coach to win both an NCAA title and an NBA Championship, having won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and an NCAA title with Kansas in 1988. Brown was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on Sept. 27, 2002.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at SMU,” Brown said in a statement from SMU. “I’ve built so many relationships in the basketball world and my success has been due to the coaches I’ve played for and the players I’ve coached. I want to thank them all. I always thought of myself as a college coach and this gives me a wonderful chance to get back where I started.”

Orsini and other members of the athletic department are also excited about the new addition.

“Larry Brown is one of the top coaches in the history of the game,” Orsini also said in a press release. “He is a legend and has made every team he has ever coached a winner. As we transition into the nation’s top basketball conference, the BIG EAST, his leadership will be invaluable.”

Brown’s staff, which was not announced in the press release, is rumored to be filled with Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich, who is expected to be named in a “head coach in waiting” title. Jerrance Howard, former Illinois assistant coach, and Rod Strickland, former Kentucky operations staff member, are also going to be part of the coaching staff.

Howard is credited with being an ace recruiter and served on John Calipari’s staff this past year when Kentucky won the national championship.

Brown has the sixth most coaching wins in NBA history with 1,098 career victories. He led his teams to 18 playoff appearances, eight 50-win seasons, seven division titles, three conference championships and one NBA championship.

Brown was recently head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, guiding the team to the franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance in 2010. Charlotte was the eighth different team he led to the postseason – an NBA record.

With such a long and successful career, Brown has developed an impressive coaching tree. Among those that have served on Brown’s staffs are Calipari, Gregg Popovich, Bill Self, Mark Turgeon. Tad Boyle and Danny Manning and are among those who have played for Brown.

“From an educational perspective, hiring a teacher of the game like Larry Brown will make a huge impact on both our student-athletes and our community as a whole,” President R. Gerald Turner said in a statement from SMU.

“Athletics is an integral part of SMU and developing a winning basketball program will dramatically increase our national profile, while providing a rallying point for our students, alumni, faculty, staff and the city of Dallas.”

The Daily Campus contacted the athletic department concerning the hiring process. However, Brad Sutton said that issue would be discussed at the press conference, which has yet to be set.