Braeden Estes enters his second season at Dartmouth as director of operations in 2022-23. He joined the men's basketball staff before the 2021-22 season began and was immediately thrown into the fire, coordinating travel logistics for the team, overseeing the student managers and working with the video operations while providing numerous other duties behind the scenes.
During his first season, Estes played a role in the development of All-Ivy League performers Brendan Barry and Aaron Rai. In the summer of 2022, Estes served as an interim assistant coach, spending time traveling across the United States recruiting and playing an integral role in coordinating both official and unofficial visits.
A local product from Lebanon, New Hampshire, Estes was the graduate assistant coach at South Florida — where he earned his master’s in physical education — from 2019-21, helping with player development, video operations, scouting and academic administration. During those two years, four Bulls earned All-American Athletic Conference honors (Alexis Yetna, David Collins, Caleb Murphy and Laquincy Rideau). He performed his duties so well that USF kept him on staff as its director of basketball operations before being called back home.
A 2019 graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in business administration while minoring in coaching, Estes was a valued student manager for the Wildcats’ men’s basketball team for four years, gradually increasing his responsibilities during his tenure. He assisted with virtually all aspects of the program, from player development to film preparation for scouting reports to team travel and social media content, not to mention handling the video exchange with opposing teams.
During the four summers after he started his schooling at UNH, Estes served as the program director and head coach of the Longhorns Basketball Club based in New Hampshire, coaching and developing more than 50 athletes were were all-state selections in the Twin States, and 20-plus players that continued their athletic careers in college, including four who went on to play at the Division I level. He also led all operations of the program — scheduling, recruiting, fundraising and more for hundreds of boys and girls of all ages.
One of Estes’ most rewarding experiences in the sport came in the fall of 2018, he worked as a coach at the Mason Plumlee Basketball Camp in Dubai. Estes spent 10 days in Dubai working as a coach with Plumlee, currently of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.
Growing up down the road from Dartmouth’s campus, Estes was a two-year varsity player at Lebanon High School and captain senior year, helping the Raiders to two semifinal appearances.