Michigan's John Beilein isn't the only coach with a past MAAC connection playing for a national championship this season.
He might be the only head coach doing so, but an assistant from the Louisville women's staff, which plays UConn on Tuesday night in the championship game for the ladies, is also seeking a national crown.
That would be Cameron Newbauer, who spent three years on the men's staff at Siena College. Newbauer was at Siena as that program's director of basketball operations from 2001-03 and, then, back with that school as a full-fledged assistant in the 2004-05 season.
Newbauer went from Siena to Georgia where he was the director of basketball operations with that school's men's program from 2005-07.
In June 2007 he joined the school's women's program and played a significant role in helping bring in one top 10 national recruiting classes in 2008 and 2009. There, he was also part of the staff that helped direct the Bulldogs to five consecutive NCAA women's tournament appearances and back-to-back Sweet 16 advances, getting there in 2010 and 2011.
Newbauer then moved over to his current position with Louisville prior to the start of this season.
Louisville, which entered this season's NCAA event as a No. 5 regional seed, claims the tournament's most-surprising victory, a one-point shocker over Baylor at the Elite Eight round of play.
Beilein, of course, coached five seasons in the 1990's at Canisius. He is just the second former MAAC head coach to play in the NCAA championship game, joining former Siena coach Paul Hewitt, who played for the 2004 national title.
If Michigan wins tonight, Beilein would be the first former MAAC men's head coach to win a national championship.
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