Markeith Brown joined the Lions women's basketball staff in July 2015 as an assistant coach. He came to Commerce after spending six seasons as the assistant women’s basketball coach and head women’s cross country coach at LeTourneau University.
During his five seasons with the team, Brown has helped coach the team to five consecutive winning seasons. He helped coach three All-Americans, two All-Region players, 14 All-Conference players, three All-Defensive team players and two Freshman of the Year. The team has reached the LSC tournament in all of his seasons and has a winning percentage of .680 (102-48).
During the 2019-20 season, Brown helped led the Lions to their most successful season under Coach Burton, and for his efforts was named the World Exposure 2020 Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. The team went 28-3, tying the program's record for most wins in a single season. The team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, the first time in program history the team had made back-to-back tournament appearances. The team set records for wins in a season (28), wins in a regular season (26), conference wins (20), most wins in a row (25), best scoring margin (+18.4), lowest scoring defense (56.8) and highest national ranking (3rd). The team won its first 25 games of the year, and finished the season as the No. 1 seed in the LSC with a 20-2 record in conference games. The team would go on to reach the LSC Championship final for the second time in program history, falling to Lubbock Christian. The Lions qualified for the NCAA Tournament as the second seed in the region, their highest ever seed in the NCAA Regionals. Unfortunately, the Regional Tournament was canceled, ending the Lions' season prematurely.
All five primary starters earned LSC Defensive Player of the Week during the 2019-20 season, the first time in the LSC's recorded history that five different players on the same team earned Player of the Week honors in the same season. Alexis Bryant earned Defensive Player of the Week honors three times, and was a First Team All-LSC selection. Chania Wright was named Second Team All-LSC while Dyani Robinson became the second player to earn Freshman of the Year honors during Brown's tenure. Robinson was named Third Team All-LSC while Maddison Glass and Alexus Jones both were named Honorable Mention All-LSC. Bryant went on to earn D2CCA All-Region status while Wright was named an Honorable Mention WBCA All-American.
During the 2018-19 season, Brown helped lead the Lions to their first appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament since the 2006-07 season, and just its second ever appearance. The team won 20 games for the second time in three seasons, and for just the third time in program history. The team finished with a record of 20-11, including a 14-6 record in conference, tying the most conference wins in a single season in program history. The team finished at or above .500 for the fifth consecutive year, setting a program record for consecutive winning seasons. The team finished tied for third in the conference standings and advanced to the second round of the LSC Tournament after defeating Eastern New Mexico in the first round. The team qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament as the seventh seed, falling to Colorado Mesa in the first round. Princess Davis earned Second Team All-LSC honors while Chania Wright was named to the conference Third Team. Davis went on to break multiple records including most minutes played and most games started.
In 2017-18, the Lions went 18-12, claiming third place in the LSC. The Lions went 13-7 in LSC play and defeated every team in the conference at least once for the second consecutive year. The team advanced to the second round of the LSC Tournament after defeating Cameron in the first round. Brianna Wise and Princess Davis were named Honorable Mention All-Americans by the WBCA. Wise was named First Team All-LSC as well as a First Team All-Region selection. She was also named to the All-Tournament Team. Artaejah Gay was named Second Team All-LSC while Davis was named Third Team All-LSC.
During the 2016-17 season, Brown helped the Lions overcome a multitude of challenges to finish the season 20-9, the second best record in school history. He was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Small College Women's Assistant Coach of the Year in May 2017. The team finished 16-13 in the 2015-16 season.
At LeTourneau, Brown was a key contributor to the growth of both programs reaching new heights. In three seasons, he led the women’s cross country team to its best finish in school history at the ASC Championships with a third-place finish in 2013. Individually, Brown was the head coach for three-time NCAA Regional and 2012 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships participant, Nicole Leman and 2013 NCAA Regional participant, Whitney Judd.
With the women’s basketball program, he was involved in the coaching and recruiting of the women’s basketball team in 2013-14 that was the first team to reach the ASC Tournament. Julencia Curtis, who was a key member of the team, was named the LeTourneau University Female Athlete of the Year in 2013-14 and Leman earned the honor in 2012-13.
Under Brown, the YellowJackets found success in the classroom. Over the course of the last five years, LeTourneau had 21 women’s cross country and 12 women’s basketball selections for the ASC Academic All-Conference Award. In 2012, Nicole Leman was selected as the ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete for cross country and the institution’s ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipient.
Prior to his arrival at LeTourneau, Brown served as the owner of the Texas City Rangers of the American Basketball Association (2008-09) and the head coach of the Lake Jackson Lakers of the Texas Professional League (2007-08). He served as the head boys basketball coach at Vermillion Catholic High School (Abbeville, La.) in 2006-07, where they were bi-district champion and regional finalist. Brown was recognized as the Vermillion Parish Coach of the Year; in addition he served as the head cross country and head girls track and field coach.
He founded MB Basketball Training from 2005-07 while serving as the head freshman boys basketball coach and assistant boys varsity Basketball Coach at Central Lafourche High School in Raceland, La. Brown was also the head coach of Nike-sponsored Louisiana Select, a 16-year old team that won two major national tournaments in 2006 (Next Level Ballers in Dallas and Kingwood Classic in Houston).
Brown played on the collegiate level at East Central Community College and Nicholls State University. He graduated from Nicholls State with his bachelor's degree in General Studies in 2004.
He is married with a wife, Julie, and the two have three children, son Mayson and daughters, Jayda and Mia.
