HATTIESBURG — A college basketball coach with local ties is enjoying a great amount of success on the hardwood.

Former Pearl River Community College Isaac Brown is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs after being added by head coach Michael White to the coaching staff in 2011.

Brown’s responsibility for the Bulldogs mainly involves coaching the wings and guards which has consisted almost entirely of underclassmen.

The Bulldogs are in their first year as part of Conference USA and came to Hattiesburg to face Southern Mississippi in a nationally televised league game recently.

Brown began his coaching career at Pearl River Community College in 1997. After two years, he went to his hometown school as an assistant at Pascagoula (Miss.) High School. Following one season, he moved back into the junior college ranks at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla.

At OWCC, he recruited and coached Kedric Brown, who in 2001 became the first junior college player selected as an NBA lottery pick (No. 11 by Boston). He also coached guard Donell Taylor, who is with the NBA’s Washington Wizards. Fifteen OWCC players signed Division I scholarships while Brown was on the staff.

Brown earned his bachelor’s in health and physical education from Louisiana-Monroe in 1995. He played two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (1989-90), spent one season at Texas A&M (1991), transferred to Louisiana-Monroe and sat out the 1992 season before helping his team win the 1993 Southland Conference title at 17-1, finish 27-4 overall and earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

With his assistance, Tech featured two guards who were selected first team all-WAC this past season as well as having one guard named to the All-Newcomer team and the All-Defensive team last season.

Brown was an integral part in the Bulldogs historic 2012-13 season which concluded with a 27-7 overall record, the second most wins in the program’s 84-year history, and a 16-2 mark in conference that earned the `Dogs their first ever WAC regular season championship.

The year featured a program record 18-game winning streak, the school’s first AP Top 25 ranking in 28 years and a berth into the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) where the `Dogs advanced to the second round.

The success has continued this year, as the Bulldogs stand 17-4 overall and 5-1 in league play. Tech has garnered some interest in the national polls as well.