Craig Robinson officially has some help in the men’s basketball office at Brown, as the school announced the hiring of Jesse Agel on Tuesday. The 1984 Vermont graduate was previously an assistant at his alma mater for 18 seasons, and was an applicant for the school’s head coaching job when it opened up last spring following the retirement of longtime head coach Tom Brennan. Last season Agel coached boys basketball at Colchester High School just outside Burlington. Brown has yet to announce any additional hirings, though a number of Brown basketball alumni are rumored to have expressed interest in joining Robinson’s staff.

Slant: Agel’s hiring makes perfect sense in every way except his status as a Princeton, Brown, and Ivy League outsider. In addition to his familiarity with New England recruiting, Agel brings experience to a staff led by a guy in Robinson who is getting his first collegiate head coaching experience. Having an assistant with that kind of resume on the bench would allow Robinson to fill the other two coaching slots with younger candidates — possibly opening the door for a recent Brown alumnus to join the staff.