Ellerbe to Colonials?

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By Scott Miller The Washington Times

Former Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe reportedly is George Washington's choice to replace Darrell Brooks as assistant coach.

Ellerbe was fired by Michigan in 2001 after a 10-18 season - his second sub-.500 season in four years as coach in Ann Arbor. The GW Hatchet, the campus newspaper, reported that Ellerbe will start coaching the Colonials in July.

The Rutgers graduate went 62-60 with the Wolverines - including a 25-9 campaign in 1997, when he was Michigan's interim coach - but many of his wins during that period have since been vacated because of four players' dealings with infamous booster Ed Martin.

Ellerbe has not been in coaching since.

Before his time at Michigan, the Capitol Heights native was the head coach at Loyola College from 1994 to 1997.

Brad Bower, GW's sports information director, wouldn't confirm Ellerbe's hiring but said the parties were waiting for human resources paperwork to be completed before an official announcement was made.

Ellerbe replaces Brooks, a longtime GW assistant who recently took the head-coaching position at his alma mater, Bowie State. Brooks, who was the first assistant hired by coach Karl Hobbs, had been at the program for seven years before announcing his resignation Wednesday.

"[Brooks] excelled in game preparation and getting us ready for every game," Hobbs said. "He has been here since Day One, and we will miss him dearly."

Also, Georgetown hired Michael Brennan as basketball assistant, coach John Thompson III announced Wednesday.

Brennan spent seven years as an assistant at Princeton before working the sidelines for two seasons at American University under coach Jeff Jones. He replaces Robert Burke, whose departure from the program has not been explained by university officials.

In both of his years at AU, Brennan helped the Eagles win the Patriot League championship. The 1994 Princeton graduate was a four-year starter for the Tigers and was named second-team All-Ivy League as a senior.

"We won three league titles together at Princeton and since then, he has won two more at American," Thompson said. "His experiences as a player and coach will provide us with varied insights."