Education
His college basketball was played at Catholic University of America, where he graduated in 1972.
basketball coach basketball player
His college basketball was played at Catholic University of America, where he graduated in 1972.
He"s known for coaching Colgate University to two National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearances, before dying from pancreatic cancer at age 48. Bruen played high school basketball at Power Memorial High School, alongside Lew Alcindor. Bruen landed his first college head coaching job at his alma mater, where he guided the Cardinals to a 110-72 record from 1982-1989, with his teams never falling below the.500 mark.
During his time at Catholic, Bruen coached future National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I head coaches Mike Lonergan (George Washington University), Jimmy Patsos (Siena College), and John Becker (University of Vermont).
In 1989, Bruen took the job at Colgate University. lieutenant was there where he coached Adonal Foyle, a 12-year National Basketball Association player, and eighth overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1997 National Basketball Association Draft.
Bruen guided the Red Raiders to two-straight National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearances in 1995 and 1996, and three Patriot League regular season championships. After being diagnosed with cancer before the start of the 1997 season, Bruen underwent chemotherapy treatments, and hoped to coach for the entire season, only missing one game against Saint John"s on December 10.
He would die just six days later, amassing a record of 109-127 overall.