Mike Brey Biography

Mike Brey currently the head basketball coach at Notre Dame is a veteran of the college basketball wars having been an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski at Duke for eight seasons, head coach at Delaware for five seasons and three seasons tucked away in the record books as head coach at Notre Dame.

In these 16 seasons Brey has demonstrated, a passion for the game, he is a coach who understands the impact he can have on a player's life and a man who cares about and holds dear the relationships he forms with his players. The fact is undeniable Mike Brey genuinely cares about the young men he coaches.

Brey got into the coaching business after playing two seasons for the legendary Morgon Wootten of perennial national powerhouse De Matha High School, he then was an assistant coach to Wootten for five seasons. From De Matha he went to Duke where he sat next to a growing legend in his own right, Mike Krzyzewski, for eight seasons. He helped coach the Blue Devils to six NCAA Final Four appearances and two nationsl championships during his tenure. While at Duke, he recruited and worked on a continuing basis with four of the best players in Duke's history, namely Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill.

Leaving Duke, Brey moved on to Delaware a school whose basketball program had never experienced any marked or sustained success. In his five seasons at Delaware Brey coached the Blue Hens to 99 victories with only 52 defeats. Delaware had only been to the NCAA tournament twice in school history, Brey took the Blue Hens to 4 NCAA tournaments in his first four seasons at the school.

For his outstanding coaching performance Brey was named co-America East coach-of-the-year for the 1997-98 season. Delaware earned the number 15 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional after a 20-10 season record and winning the America East Conference title. This was the beginning of three consecutive 20-win season for Brey and the Blue Hens, a first in their history.

His fourth season at Delaware saw Brey coach his team to a 25-6 regular season record, the second most wins ever for the school. The team won the America East regular season title, the tournament title and earned a number 13 seed in the NCAA East Regional.

In Brey's last season at Delaware the Blue Hens finished the regular season with a 24-8 record and went to the NIT.

His five seasons at Delaware were a monument to Brey as a coach on the court and mentor off the court. The Blue Hens were the only America East team to finish in the top half of the league standings each of his five seasons.

Brey's overall (.656) wining percentage and (.667)

conferance winning percentage put him in the elite of men's college basketball coaches in the nation. Off the court he saw every senior whose eligibility was completed graduated. He also had an all-America East forward who was a third-team GTE Academic All-American as well as the conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Mike Brey has carried his winning ways on to the University of Notre Dame. In his debut on the Irish sidelines Brey led the Irish to a win earning his 100th career coaching victory. In his first season at Notre Dame Brey coached his team to 19 wins during the regular season, the most in school history by a first-year coach.

He is just the second coach in Irish history to take his team to the NCAA tournament in his first season. Brey's team finished 19th in the final AP poll for Notre Dame's first ranking on a national basis since the 1989 season.

After three seasons with the Irish Brey owns a gaudy 66-31 (.688) overall record and a 31-17 (.646) record in Big East play. During this time Notre Dame has won a Big East Conference championship and been to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons including a trip to the "Sweet 16" following the 2002-03' regular season.

Brey has brought the Fighting Irish basketball program, which had recently fallen on hard times, back to the pinnacle of success and stability the program had previously enjoyed. He missed a chance to fill the Irish head coaches vacancy in 1999 but got another chance after Matt Doherty chose to return to his alma mater North Carolina after only one season at the helm of the Irish.

Perhaps Brey's own words sum up best his passion for coaching basketball at Notre Dame. Upon being introduced by Notre Dame Athletic Director Kevin White he said,"I've been in love with two coaching jobs in my five years as a head coach and that's Notre Dame twice."

Brey is the only coach in the program's 98-year history to lead the Irish to three consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA tournament appearances in each of his first three seasons. Under Brey's tutelage the 2002-03' season is cause for joy and possibly more importantly a portent of things to come. It was just the sixth time and first since 1986-87' Notre Dame had won 24 or more games.

The Fighting Irish beat five top ten nationally ranked opponents for the first time in the schools' history and the most by any school that season. The five wins included an incredible streak of three straight, achieved in a six day stretch against number(10)Marquette, defending national champion and ranked number(8)Maryland and number(2)Texas and setting yet another school record.

In each of Brey's three seasons at Notre Dame, at least one of his players' has earned first-team all-conference honors.

The Irish thrilled their fans by reaching a level in the NCAA tournament in 2003, when they earned the No. 5 seed in the West Region, they hadn't seen in sixteen years. Notre Dame won a pair of games to reach the "Sweet 16" for the first time since 1987. The Fighting Irish upset the number 4 seed, 13th-ranked Illinois, in the second round. The Illini were the highest-seeded team to lose to the Irish since fourth-seeded TCU lost to Notre Dame in the second round of the 1987 tournament. The Irish are the only Big East team that has played in the NCAA Tournament in 2001,'02 and '03.

Brey was honored in 2003 by the NABC as its District 10 Coach of the Year. He owns a luminous 165-83 mark (.665) in eight seasons as a head coach with five of his teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament and six postseason appearances overall, including one NIT appearance.

In eight seasons as head coach, Brey's Notre Dame and Delaware teams have won an amazing three conference titles.

Brey graduated from George Washington, in the District of Columbia, with a degree in physical education. He and his wife Tish live in the South Bend area with their two childern, Kyle, 17 and Callie, 14.

Some of his accomplishments are:

8 seasons NCAA head basketball coach
Assistant coach to Mike Krzyzewski at Duke for eight seasons
Helped coach the Blue Devils to six NCAA Final Four appearances and two nationsl championships
While at Duke coached Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill
Coached the Delaware Blue Hens to 99 victories in only five seasons
Took the Blue Hens to 4 NCAA tournaments in his first four seasons
Named co-America East coach-of-the-year 1997-98 season
Team earned the number 15 seed in the NCAA Midwest Region
Twice won the America East Conference title
Coached three consecutive 20-win seasons for the Blue Hens a first in their history
Coached Delaware to a 25-6 regular season record - second most wins ever for the school
Appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice with Delaware
Appeared in the NIT once with Delaware
Only America East team finish in top half of league standings each of his five seasons
Every senior whose eligibility was completed graduated
Coached an all-America East forward
A third-team GTE Academic All-American and conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Earned his 100th career coaching victory in Notre Dame debut
Set Irish record for most wins in school history by a first-year coach
Second coach in Irish history go to NCAA tournament his first season
Owns a gaudy 66-31 (.688) record at Notre Dame
Won a Big East Conference championship
Been to NCAA Tournament all three seasons at Notre Dame including a trip to the "Sweet 16"
Notre Dame beat five top ten nationally ranked opponents first time in their history
Three wins in 6 day period against Top-10 nationally ranked teams
Only coach in school's 98-year history with three consecutive 20-win seasons
3 NCAA Tournament appearances in 3 seasons
Only sixth time Notre Dame won 24 or more games in a season
At least one of his players' earned first-team all-conference honors each of his 3 seasons
Earned the No. 5 seed in NCAA Tournament in 2003
Notre Dame reached "Sweet 16" first time since 1987
Upset the number 4 seed, 13th-ranked Illinois, in the second round NCAA Tournament in 2003
Irish the only Big East team that played in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, '02 and '03
Honored in 2003 by the NABC as its District 10 Coach of the Year
Owns a luminous 165-83 mark (.665) in eight seasons as a head coach
Won three conference titles with Notre Dame and Delaware
Degree in Physical Education from George Washington University