Men's Basketball


Mike Brey

Notre Dame head coach

Age: 44

Hired by Notre Dame July 2000

George Washington, '82

Mike Brey's Odds
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2000-present — Notre Dame, Head Coach
1995-2000 — Delaware, Head Coach
1987-95 — Duke, Assistant Coach

COACHING AWARDS
2003 — Coaches vs. Cancer Champion

EDUCATION
DeMatha High School, Hyattsville, Md., 1977
George Washington University, Bachelor's in physical education, 1982

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
De Matha High School, Hyattsville, Md.
Northwestern State University, 1977-80
George Washington University, 1981-82

PERSONAL
Born March 22, 1959, in Bethesda, Md.
Wife: Tish
Children: Kyle (14) and Callie (12)

COACHING HISTORY

2000-present — Notre Dame, Head Coach

• Has led Fighting Irish to the Sweet 16 once and the NCAA Touranment second round twice in his three years in South Bend, Ind.

1995-2000 — Delaware, Head Coach

• Took Delaware to two NCAA Tournaments in five years by twice winning the American East Conference.
• Also was runner-up in the American East conference in 1999-2000 season.

1987-95 — Duke, Assistant Coach

• Part of back-to-back National Championship teams, as well as back-to-back trips to the national semifinals.

ASSISTANT COACHING RECORD

Duke University
1994-95      13-18 (.419)
1993-94      28-6 (.824)
1992-93      24-8 (.750)
1991-92      34-2 (.944)
1990-91      32-7 (.821)
1989-90      29-9 (.763)
1988-89      28-8 (.778)
1987-88      28-7 (.800)


HEAD COACHING RECORD

Notre Dame
2002-03      24-10 (.706)
2002-03      22-11 (.667)
2002-03      20-10 (.667)

Delaware
2002-03      24-8 (.750)
2002-03      25-6 (.807)
2002-03      20-10 (.667)
2002-03      15-16 (.484)
2002-03      15-12 (.556)
BIOGRAPHY:

When Mike Brey was hired as the men's basketball coach at Notre Dame in July of 2000, he had one vision — to put the Irish men's basketball program back on the college basketball map.

After two seasons along the sidelines, Brey has the program headed back in the direction of its past basketball glory with a Big East Conference championship banner hanging in the Joyce Center and two NCAA tournament appearances to its credit. More importantly, he has restored a sense of stability to the program.

• Replaced former KU assistant coach Matt Doherty as head coach at Notre Dame.
A 15-year veteran of the college ranks as both the head coach at Delaware (1995-2000) and assistant at Duke (1987-95), Brey begins his third campaign with the Irish after compiling an impressive 42-21 mark for a 66.7 winning percentage in his first two seasons. He is the only coach in the program's 96-year history to lead his teams to back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons. Prior to Brey's arrival, the last NCAA appearance was in '90 and the last time Irish teams earned back-to-back berths was during the '89 and '90 campaigns.

Brey owns a a glossy 141-73 mark (.659) in seven years as a head coach with four of his teams advancing to NCAA competition and five postseason appearances overall (one NIT).

In July, Brey signed a a two-year contract extension to continue as coach of the Fighting Irish through the 2008-09 campaign.

"We couldn't be more excited with the direction of the program, from the on-court successes the last two seasons, to our return to being a factor in the NCAA tournament, to what Mike and his staff have accomplished from a recruiting standpont," Notre Dame director of athletics Kevin White says. "We are extremely confident in Mike's leadership. He will continue to make the Irish a significant player within the Big East Conference and nationally."

Under Brey, Notre Dame is one of 12 schools to win at least one NCAA tournament game in each of the last two seasons as his teams have advanced to the the second round in consecutive years.

Less than nine months after being named head coach, Brey guided Notre Dame to a 20-10 record and program's first Big East regular-season title in capturing the West Division crown with an 11-5 record. The 11 conference wins were the most by an Irish team since becoming a league member in 1995-96 as his squad clinched the league crown with a week to go before the end of the regular season. Brey's squad finished 19th in the final Associated Press ranking (and were ranked as high as 10th at one time during the season) for its first ranking on a national basis since '89.

Has shown the ability to get to the NCAA Tournament and handle the stress of a big-time program, but hasn't show the level of success expected at KU.
During the past 2001-02 campaign, the Irish finished with a 22-11 record and 10-6 mark in the West Division, good for second place in the final regular-season standings. Notre Dame earned a first-round bye in the conference post season tournament and advanced to the semifinals of the championship for the first time after posting its first-ever victory in the quarterfinal round.

Since his arrival, Brey has led Notre Dame to a 21-11 mark in Big East play during the regular season for a .656 winning percentage. In the last two-year period (2000-02), the Irish's Big East wins are matched only by Connecticut and Boston College. Notre Dame is the only league school to register 10-plus victories in each of the last two years and is the only school to earn a bye in the first round of the last two league championships. Also, Notre Dame and Boston College are the only BIG EATS schools to earn NCAA bids in both in both '01 and '02.

Brey's 21 Big East wins after only two seasons rank as the third-best total in conference history. Only four other Big East coaches, including St. John's mentor Mike Jarvis, have posted a better winning percentage in their first two seasons.

Notre Dame has been one of only four schools (the others are Duke, Indiana and Stanford) to have a player selected in the first round of the NBA draft each of the last two years. In this year's draft, Ryan Humphrey, a second-team All-America selection by Basketball News, was chosen as the 19th pick overall, which followed first-team consensus All-American Troy Murphy's 14th overall selection in '01.

Three players from the 2001-02 team garnered all-conference honors, with Humphrey earning first-team all-Big East accolades and freshman sensation Chris Thomas copping third-team honors as well as taking home the league's rookie-of-the-year honor. David Graves, who finished his career as the school's career three-point field goal and steals leader, earned honorable mention recognition.

Thomas capped off his remarkable freshman campaign by earning national freshman-of-the-year accolades from Basketball Times and Basketball News.

Murphy was the Big East Co-Player of the Year in Brey's first season.

Brey's first season with the Irish could qualify as anything short of a whirlwind for the 14-year veteran of the college game. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he spent eight seasons as an assistant at Duke University and five as the head coach at the University of Delaware. Named the 17th head coach, in the program's history on July 14, 2000, Brey assembled his coaching staff, moved his family to the South Bend, Ind., area and got to work.

In his debut on the Irish sidelines on Nov. 18, the 42-year-old Rockville, Md., led the Irish to a 104-58 victory to earn his 100th career coaching victory. Brey guided his team to 19 wins during the regular season, the most by an Irish first-year coach, and also became just the second coach in school history to take his team to the NCAA tournament in his first season.

During the run to the divisional crown, Notre Dame notched eight consecutive league wins and five straight road victories for the first time as a Big East member. The Irish also produced three wins over top 10 teams (Georgetown, Boston and Syracuse) for the first time since the 1991-92 campaign.

In seven seasons as a head coach, his teams have won three conference titles.

And while the accomplishments of the past year and in his coaching career are impressive, one can't help but be captivated by his contagious enthusiasm and genuine sincerity. He's a man whose basketball bloodlines are as impressive as any young coach in the collegiate ranks today.

A players' coach, Brey has a true passion for the game. He is an individual who appreciates the bonds and relationships he forms with his players, and a coach who understands the impact he can have on an player's life. He is, in no uncertain terms, a man who cares about the young men he coaches.

Reared in a home with two parents as educators, coaching appears to have been a natural profession for Brey to pursue. Associations with legendary coaches Morgan Wootten and Mike Krzyzewski have molded his philosophy and strengthened his foundation as a man and coach who is destined to lead Notre Dame's return to national prominence.

A former player and assistant coach for Wootten at De Matha High School and a veteran of eights seasons as an assistant on the bench next to Krzyzewski at Duke, where he helped the Blue Devils to six NCAA Final Four appearances and two national championships, success been an integral part of Brey's life as both a player and coach.

Having missed out on the Irish head coaching vacancy in March of 1999, Brey earned another shot at the only coaching job he coveted while the head coach at Delaware. When Matt Doherty left for the University of North Carolina in July after just one season, Brey was the man director of athletics Kevin White targeted for the Notre Dame post.

On the afternoon he was introduced as the Irish head coach, Brey made certain that current players, administrators and fans knew that this was the place where he wanted to be.

"I've been in love with two coaching jobs in my five years as a head coach," he said as he stood on the podium situated on the floor of the Joyce Center, "and that's Notre Dame twice."


• * Miller, Notre Dame fight off Illinois, 68-60 (3-23-03)
• * Veteran Wildcats hammer Irish, set up matchup with KU - Arizona 88, Notre Dame 71 (3-28-03)
Brey, who led Delaware to unprecedented success during his five-year tenure as the Blue Hens' head coach from 1995-2000 which included postseason bids in each of his last three seasons, has brought to Notre Dame a wealth of basketball experience and all the characteristics necessary for success.

On the day of Brey's hiring White made perfectly clear why he (Brey) emerged as his one and only choice.

"Mike Brey brings to Notre Dame all the characteristics and elements you'd like to see in a college basketball coach," White said.

"His experiences along the way — at De Matha, at Duke and at Delaware — provide him with a tremendous background for what he will encounter at Notre Dame. Of course I talked to dozens of coaches and administrators as well as select others throughout this process, and there wasn't a single person who didn't have the highest regard for Mike both professionally and personally. With that said, I truly believe that our men's basketball program is going to have some great opportunities in the future and I am confident that Mike is the ideal person to lead the Irish program wherein we can expect to realize our full potential."

In the span of five seasons at Delaware, he guided the Blue Hens to success never before experienced in the program's history. His five years at Delaware combined to produce a 99-52 record for Brey, including a 60-30 mark in America East competition.

Prior to his arrival at the Newark, Del., school, Delaware had made only two previous trips to the NCAA tournament — but doubled that total in his third and fourth seasons. In 1997-98, Brey copped co-America East coach-of-the-year honors after his team finished with a 20-10 overall record and won the America East Conference title with a 12-6 mark. The Blue Hens earned the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional and lost to Purdue in the first round.

That campaign signaled what would be the first of three consecutive 20-win seasons for Brey at Delaware, a first in the program's history. In Brey's first two seasons, the Blue Hens were 30-28, finishing with a 15-12 mark in 1995-96 and 15-16 record in 1996-97.

In his fourth season at Delaware, he guided the Blue Hens to a 25-6 record, the second-most wins in school history. For the second straight year, Brey's squad won the America East regular-season crown (finishing with a 15-3 record) and tournament title. As the No. 13 seed in the NCAA East Regional, the Blue Hens pushed 20th-ranked Tennessee to the final buzzer, but fell 62-52.

In 1999-2000, Delaware finished 24-8 (14-4 in conference play) and received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, losing to Villanova in the first round.

His teams' on-court success during the past five seasons helped set Delaware attendance records as well. The Blue Hens in 1998-99 averaged a record 4,815 fans (in 5,000-seat Bob Carpenter Center), including nine sellouts. Then in 1999-2000, they topped that figure with a 4,989 average and a dozen sellouts.

In Brey's five seasons with the Blue Hens, Delaware ranked as the only America East team to finish in the top half of the league standings in each of those seasons. His .667 winning percentage over the last seven years ranks as the second best in the country (behind only Michigan State's Tom Izzo) among those Division I head coaches who took over programs in 1995-96.

Success for Brey's teams was not limited to the court. While at Delaware, every senior who completed his eligibility graduated. Mike Pegues, an all-America East forward, was a third-team GTE Academic All-American and America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 1997-98.

Prior to taking over at Delaware, Brey served under Krzyzewski at Duke for eight seasons beginning in 1987-88. During that time, he saw the Blue Devils advance to six NCAA Final Fours, four national title games and claim the NCAA championship in both 1991 and 1992. The Blue Devils finished with a combined 216-65 (.769) during his eight seasons and won 24 or more games in seven of those campaigns.

During his tenure at Duke, he recruited and worked daily with four of the greatest players in that program's history — Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill.

Already his recruiting impact has been felt on the Notre Dame program with the enrollment of McDonald's and Parade All-Americans Chris Thomas in the fall of 2001 and Torin Francis in 2002. Off the court, Brey proved to be a driving force in bringing the Philadelphia 76ers training camp as well as the first-ever on-site America East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament to the Bob Carpenter Center, with Delaware as the host.

He and his wife, Tish, are very active in the South Bend community, much as they were when living in Newark. The two were very active in the Coaches vs. Cancer program, helping make Delaware one of the top fund-raising schools in the country through that program. In the summer of 2002 in South Bend, the Breys initiated the first annual Notre Dame Basketball Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Classic designed to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

Brey previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, De Matha High School in Hyattsville, Md., under Wootten before taking the assistant's post at Duke. He served as head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant beginning in 1982. During the five years he spent there, De Matha combined to finish 139-22, while claiming four league crowns and two city titles — as well as a number-one ranking by USA Today in 1984.

As a player, he played for two seasons at De Matha and helped the Stags finish with a combined 55-9 record.

A standout guard in college, he played three seasons at Northwestern Louisiana State (now Northwestern State) from 1977-80, leading the team in assists and steals all three years. He still ranks fifth at the school in all-time in assists with 311, while his 180 assists during his sophomore season in 1978-79 rank as the fourth best single-season total in school history.

Brey played his final collegiate season at George Washington after transferring to the Washington, D.C., school following the 1979-80 season. After sitting out the 1980-81 season, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in his senior season with the Colonials. He served as team captain and earned team MVP honors in his only year of competition at the school.

Brey hails from an athletic family that still remains actively involved in high school and collegiate athletics. His father, Paul, was a high school athletic director in Maryland, while his mother, the former Betty Mullen, was the women's swim coach at George Washington, and perhaps the family's most accomplished athlete. She attended Purdue University and swam for the AAU team in West Lafayette while attending school. For a time, she held the world record in the 50-meter butterfly and competed with the U.S. team at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. She still competes in masters swimming events and is a member of the Indiana Swimming Hall of Fame, located in Indianapolis, Ind.

His mother also was a Purdue majorette and was present in Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 2, 1954, when the 19th-ranked Boilermakers upset the top-ranked Irish 27-14 in football. In addition, her brother, Jack, played guard at Duke on that school's first Atlantic Coast Conference championship team in 1960.

Brey's younger sister, Brenda, swam competitively at LSU, and is a physical education teacher in the Rockville area. His younger brother, Shane, a former high school standout at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., currently serves as an assistant athletic director at Delaware.

Born March 22, 1959, Brey is a 1982 graduate of George Washington, with a degree in physical education. He is married to the former Tish Schlapo, a former volleyball standout at George Washington and assistant volleyball coach at Delaware. The couple has two children — Kyle, 15 (born Jan. 11, 1987) , and Callie, 12 (born April 5, 1990).


—Courtesy of und.ocsn.com