There’s never a good time to leave a program behind, especially after eight seasons, but Brady Sallee couldn’t pass up the opportunity that awaited him at Ball State.  

The former Eastern women’s basketball coach was introduced Friday in Muncie, Ind. to a group of new faces he’d have to get used to as the head women’s basketball coach at Ball State. 

Of the current players, Sallee likely recognized a few from having tried to recruit them to Eastern. 

But while Sallee said he looks forward to getting to know the Ball State players, he’s left behind an Eastern team he said may be the program’s best ever.  

Even so, Sallee said the opportunity at Ball State – a new athletic director, the school’s resources, a better conference – was a “perfect opportunity.” 

“When an opportunity like this presents itself, if you’re any good in this profession, you want that challenge,” Sallee said. “When it was put in my lap, it was something I quickly figured out I had to pounce on.” 

And pounce on it he did. Sallee was contacted about the job only a week before he was introduced at the university. 

“They know what they want and they know how to go get it,” Sallee said.  

Sallee said there were more teams this offseason that contacted him than any time before, but said no opportunity was as good as Ball State. 

In April, Sallee was one of three finalists for the head coaching job at Bowling Green but wasn’t selected.  

Sallee said if he was going to leave the Eastern program, it was going to be for a program like Ball State. 

“It wasn’t just time for Brady to move,” Sallee said. “I saw something at Ball State where we could do something special.” 

Sallee saw something similar at Eastern eight years ago. Now he leaves the program as the winningest in the Ohio Valley Conference and after three consecutive postseason tournament appearances.  

“This is the world you live in,” Sallee said. “When you’re in a situation like at Eastern, when you have really good players that are that good, people are going to take notice.” 

Eastern gave Sallee a raise and contract extension in April for three more years. His salary was raised from $86,107 to $130,000 per year.  

Sallee said money didn’t play a factor in his move to Ball State, but it was an added bonus; however, he said it goes “without saying” that the money is usually better when these moves are made. 

A Freedom of Information Act request has been filed with Ball State University seeking the details of Sallee’s contract.  

“The opportunity to do this at this level was way more important,” Sallee said. 

Sallee said ultimately he wants to take care of his family as a husband and father, but he could’ve done that at either school. 

Sallee and his wife Mandy have three kids, including a son, Drew, who they welcomed to the family this year.   

What’s left behind

 Eastern senior guard Kelsey Wyss said she was a little puzzled at the timing of Sallee’s departure from Eastern.  

Wyss and her senior class – Ta’Kenya Nixon, Mariah King, Sydney Mitchell – will be in their final season at Eastern, and Wyss said she would’ve thought Sallee would stay to see them graduate. 

“I thought that if he had left earlier, like last year or the year before, it wouldn’t have surprised me,” Wyss said. “But it’s not every day you have an opportunity, so I understand why he had to take it.” 

The opportunity at Ball State includes taking over a team whose head coach resigned in March after a 9-21 season. Sallee called all of the players separately Thursday before the news broke that he would be leaving Eastern for Ball State. 

Wyss said Sallee told her the decision was a career move for him. 

“All you can do is respect his decision,” Wyss said. 

Wyss said the team will return to school for the second summer term as usual to start training, but said she doesn’t know how everyone will be affected until then. 

Calls to other players weren’t returned. 

Sallee said it’s bittersweet to leave the Eastern players behind, knowing they are the reason he was given the opportunity at Ball State. “

I’m fully aware that without the Rachel Galligans, Ta’Kenya Nixons and Ellen Canales of the world, I would not be sitting here right now,” Sallee said.  

Rachel Galligan was an assistant coach for Sallee at Eastern and former player. Sallee said he will pursue Galligan for his Ball State coaching staff. 

“Anybody would be lucky to have Rachel as an assistant,” Sallee said. 

Calls to Galligan’s office were unsuccessful.  

Sallee’s associate head coach at Eastern, Lee Buchanan, announced he would pursue the Eastern head coaching job. 

Sallee endorsed Buchanan as a “wonderful” candidate for the job. 

Sallee’s other assistant, Quacy Timmons, left the Eastern program before Sallee. Timmons will be an assistant women’s basketball coach at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. 

Sallee said she made her decision so she could be with her husband, who has a job near the school.  Pending Buchanan’s pursuit of the Eastern vacancy, Sallee said he would like to keep his former Eastern staff together. 

“There’s no question (Ball State) would be in good hands if I could get Lee and Rachel over here,” Sallee said.  

A national search for Sallee’s replacement began Friday, but no candidates have been named.   

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7942 or admcnamee@eiu.edu.