PROVIDENCE - Jesse Agel, Brown University's new head basketball coach, spent the last 19 years as an assistant at the University of Vermont and at Brown. When did he think he was ready for the top job?

"After my first day of practice 20 years ago," he said yesterday, after being introduced as Craig Robinson's successor.

Agel, 46, worked with Robinson the last two years and last season helped coach the Bears to a 19-10 record, the most victories in a season in Brown basketball history, an 11-3 record, a second-place finish behind Cornell in the Ivy League and a berth in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.

For 17 years prior to Brown, Agel was an assistant at Vermont. He was associate head coach under Tom Brennan for the last eight and shared credit for the Catamounts' title runs in 2003, 2004 and 2005, as well as their stunning first-round upset of Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA Tournament at Worcester. T.J. Sorrentine of Pawtucket and Taylor Coppenrath, America East rookies and players of the year, were the heroes of those teams.

"I was given a lot of leeway by Tom, making decisions, formulating game plans," he said. His only head coaching experience was two years at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury, Vt. His 1988 team was 21-2 and won the Division II state championship.

Agel's hiring ends a search that began shortly after Robinson announced in April that he was leaving Brown for Oregon State. The search committee examined the records of 80 applicants and invited four to campus for 11 meetings with 16 different people. Agel emerged as the first choice of Michael Goldberger, director of athletics, who said he is just as excited as he was when he hired Robinson in 2006.

"Craig came in with such a well-orchestrated plan even though he didn't have much experience [six years as an assistant at Northwestern]. Jesse has the same degree of preparation and planning but has 20 years of experience," Goldberger said.

Whereas Robinson, a Princeton alum and two-time Ivy League player of the year, commands attention merely by his physical presence, Agel, a 1984 Vermont alum of average physical stature, earns respect.

"There is no doubt in my mind that he possesses basketball expertise among the top coaches in the country," Goldberger said. "Jesse did an awful lot at Vermont. He had experience running the games, running the recruiting. Over the last two years we got to know his personality. He is charming. He is sneaky sharp. He is always a step ahead."

Despite the graduation of All-Ivy stars Mark McAndrew and Damon Huffman and classmate Mark MacDonald, Agel said his goal remains the same as the last two years: "Relentless pursuit of the Ivy League championship." He will rely on his experience, and he said what he doesn't know, he will borrow from others.

Agel will hire assistant coaches "who can help us win championships, understand Brown University and give the kids the best possible experience. I want well-rounded guys who can do everything."

He didn't give himself a deadline for completing his staff, but Brown has a trip to Belgium, Paris and the south of France planned for Aug. 18-28. "That will be a great chance for the kids to get to know each other in a different way," he said.

Agel chuckled when queried about presidential politics -- Robinson is Barack Obama's brother-in-law -- and said he won't discuss politics. He also declined to predict a winner in the Celtics-Lakers series, saying he is a college basketball fan.

Agel thanked a variety of people, among them Robinson, who hired him; former Brown star Russ Tyler, a strong advocate for Brown basketball; Todd Phelps, assistant athletics director, and Roger Grillo, hockey coach, for their counsel and support.

"I feel very lucky. There are a handful of schools like Brown out there. I feel very lucky Craig hired me and gave me that experience. It's not easy coming from the outside and understanding what the Ivy League is all about. Vermont is a great institution, but Brown is on a higher level."

Agel resides in Westerly with his wife, Theresa, and their sons, Zachary and Nicholas. They were on hand with many Brown coaches and administrators for the announcement.

The beginning of the Jesse Agel Era coincides with the installation of a new floor in the Pizzitola Center.