The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- 512-471-5816
Third Season at Texas
Pronunciation: shuh-PELLE (like Dave Chappelle)
Brandon Chappell is in his third year as Assistant Coach at The University of Texas. Chappell brings 11 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Texas staff.
In his first two seasons in Austin, Chappell has helped the Longhorns post a 50-22 (.694) overall record. Texas has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2023 Elite Eight and 2024 Round of 32) and claimed the 2023 Big 12 Tournament title.
During the 2023-24 season, Texas posted a 21-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its victory over Colorado State in the NCAA Round of 64, the Longhorns won their NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season. This marked the first time Texas has accomplished the feat since UT won four-straight NCAA First-Round games from 2006-09.
UT finished at No. 25 in the final KenPom team rankings, recorded five Quad 1 wins and earned three victories against AP-ranked opponents, including a 75-73 home win over No. 9 Baylor, a 75-60 victory at No. 11 Oklahoma and a 77-66 win at No. 25 TCU. The Longhorns were one of 11 teams to rank in the top 31 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
Dylan Disu was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player, becoming the first Texas player to claim the honor since it began during the 2019-20 season, and earned first-team All-Big 12 mention from the coaches. Max Abmas garnered a spot on the first-team All-Big 12 team from the media and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. In addition, Abmas was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Men’s Basketball Team Member of the Year, while Disu was named the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In Chappell’s first year in Austin, Texas completed the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 29-9 (12-6 Big 12, second) and ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll. The No. 5 spot marked a tie for the highest ranking in the final AP poll by the Longhorns. UT also was No. 5 in the final AP poll during the 2002-03 Final Four season. The Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2008 and eighth time in program history. Texas captured its second Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship title in program history, defeating No. 3 Kansas, 76-56, in the championship game in Kansas City, Mo.
The 29 wins were the third-most in a single season in program history, as UT went 31-7 in 2007-08 and 30-7 in 2005-06. The Longhorns compiled a 10-7 record against AP Top 25 opponents in 2022-23. This set a school single-season record for most wins in a year against AP-ranked teams, as UT previously went 8-5 in 2003-04. Texas posted a 6-3 mark against AP Top 11 foes during the 2022-23 season and tied a program single-season record for most games played (38).
The Longhorns were one of three teams to rank in the top 15 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Texas (15 offense, 13 defense) was joined by UConn (3 offense, 7 defense) and Houston (11 offense, 5 defense). Since the Big 12 moved to an 18-game round-robin schedule starting in the 2011-12 season, Texas reached the 12-win mark for the first time in league play (12-6 record). Seventeen of UT’s 29 victories this season were by at least 10 points.
Marcus Carr claimed first-team All-Big 12 honors, becoming the first UT player to receive first-team All-Big 12 accolades since Isaiah Taylor in 2015-16. Sir’Jabari Rice was tabbed the National Sixth Man of the Year by College Hoops Today (Jon Rothstein) in addition to earning the league’s Sixth Man Award. Rice also was named a third-team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team selection. In addition, Timmy Allen was selected as an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick.
Chappell worked as an assistant for head coach Kevin Kruger at UNLV during the 2021-22 season. Chappell helped the Runnin’ Rebels to 18 wins (18-14 record), the most for UNLV in four years. The team went 10-8 in Mountain West Conference action, exceeding preseason expectations with a fifth-place finish in the regular-season league standings.
Chappell assisted in overhauling the roster with nine transfers and the team continually improved throughout the season, moving up 43 spots in the KenPom rankings. Bryce Hamilton (first team), Royce Hamm Jr. (honorable mention) and Donovan Williams (Sixth Man of the Year) earned All-Mountain West recognition, while Kruger was one of 15 finalists for the Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I men’s college basketball by CollegeInsider.com.
Prior to his time in Las Vegas, Chappell spent four seasons (2017-21) as an assistant coach under Tic Price for his alma mater, Lamar University. He helped the Cardinals to a 20-13 record in the 2018-19 campaign, marking the first time in a seven-year span that Lamar reached the 20-win mark. Chappell also played a role in the development of David Muoka, who earned Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year recognition during the 2020-21 season.
Chappell worked as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith for one season in 2016-17. The Lions posted a 23-11 overall record, swept the Heartland Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament.
He spent two years at Northern Arizona University (2014-16), serving as a graduate assistant and recruiting coordinator during the same time that Kruger was an assistant coach in 2014-15. During Chappell’s time at NAU, the Lumberjacks set a school single-season record for wins (23-15 mark) and finished runner-up in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com tournament.
Chappell began his collegiate coaching career at Armstrong State (Savannah, Ga.) as an assistant coach in 2013-14. He worked with Nike Basketball Camps in Atlanta, Ga. in both 2012 and 2013.
A four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain at Lamar University (2003-07) while playing for legendary head coach Billy Tubbs, he still ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in three-pointers made (140) and three-point field goal percentage (.394) and was in the school’s top-10 in assists (241) at the conclusion of his collegiate career. Chappell went on to play professionally for five years (2007-12) with BBC Bayreuth, TV Langen and Licher Basket Baerans in the Pro-A German Basketball League.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Chappell earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Marketing from Lamar University in 2006. Following his playing career, he received his master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2016.
Chappell was a standout on the basketball court at Ozen High School in Beaumont, where he helped guide the Panthers to a 36-0 record and the Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2001. He was high school teammates at Ozen with 2008 NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics).
The Brandon Chappell File
|
Hometown |
Beaumont, Texas |
|
Education |
Lamar University, bachelor’s degree, business administration-marketing, 2006; Northern Arizona University, master’s degree, educational leadership, 2016 |
Chappell’s Coaching Experience
|
Years |
School |
Position/Title |
|
2022- |
Texas |
Assistant Coach |
|
2021-22 |
UNLV |
Assistant Coach |
|
2017-21 |
Lamar |
Assistant Coach |
|
2016-17 |
Arkansas-Fort Smith |
Assistant Coach |
|
2014-16 |
Northern Arizona |
Graduate Assistant, Recruiting Coordinator |
|
2013-14 |
Armstrong State |
Assistant Coach |
