Penn State men’s basketball associate head coach Jamal Brunt has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Impactful High Major Assistants, as announced by Silver Waves Media.
Brunt is in his third season as associate head coach with the Nittany Lions. He arrived in Happy Valley alongside head coach Mike Rhoades in 2023 after spending six seasons (2018–23) as an assistant under Rhoades at Virginia Commonwealth University. Brunt’s relationship with Rhoades dates back even further, as he also served on his staff at Randolph-Macon from 2003–05 and previously played for Rhoades with the Yellow Jackets.
A Baltimore native, Brunt has additional coaching experience at Miami and the University of Richmond.
During the 2024–25 season, Brunt played a key role in helping Penn State earn two wins over top-15 opponents, defeating No. 8 Purdue and No. 12 Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions’ defense, which Brunt oversees, finished second in the Big Ten in steals and third in turnovers forced per game. Former Penn State standout Ace Baldwin Jr., now playing professionally with the Osceola Magic, worked closely with Brunt and went on to earn back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Brunt also helped assemble a top-25 recruiting class that included highly touted freshman Kayden Mingo, who currently leads Penn State in points, rebounds, and assists.
Former Nittany Lion Yanic Konan Niederhauser, the 30th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, was recruited to State College from Northern Illinois with Brunt playing a key role in his development.
In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2023–24, Brunt led a unit that topped the Big Ten in steals per game (8.3), turnover margin (+3.6), and three-point percentage defense (30.3%).
This season, he has helped guide Penn State to a 9–7 overall record, with the Nittany Lions narrowly missing upsets of No. 12 Michigan State, No. 16 Illinois, No. 2 Michigan, and No. 5 Purdue.
