Mike Brey Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: George Washington '82

When he was named the men's basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame in July of 2000, Mike Brey set out to lead the resurgence of an Irish basketball program that had fallen on tough times and had not been to the NCAA tournament in more than a decade. He had definitive goals on the future of a basketball program with a long and storied tradition.

Heading into his eighth season along the Irish sidelines, the union of Brey and Notre Dame has been a winning combination. Regarded as one of the bright young coaches in the game today, Brey has brought confidence and a feeling of stability to the program. He is the epitome of a players' coach who enjoys the relationship he shares with his players.

Since his arrival, Brey has put his signature on the Irish basketball program. After seven successful campaigns, he has a BIG EAST Conference championship banner, four NCAA tournament appearances and a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2003 to his credit. His teams have averaged better than 20 wins per season and have won nearly 65-percent of their contests.

A 20-year veteran of the college ranks as both the head coach at Delaware (1995-2000) and assistant at Duke (1987-95), Brey has compiled an impressive 142-78 mark for a .645 winning percentage in his seven seasons with the Irish. He is the only coach in the 102-year history of the program to lead his teams to three consecutive 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA tournament berths in his first three seasons. His Irish teams have won 10-plus games in BIG EAST play on four occasions.

Brey owns a glossy 241-130 mark (.640) in 12 years as a head coach with six of his teams advancing to NCAA competition and 10 postseason appearances overall (four NIT). From 1997-2003, Brey guided his teams at both Notre Dame and Delaware to six consecutive 20-win seasons. His 1999-2000 Blue Hen squad and 2002-03 and 2006-07 Irish team posted 24 wins, registering 24-8, 24-10 and 24-8 records, respectively. He was honored in 2003 by the NABC as its District 10 Coach of the Year.

The past 2006-07 campaign proved to be one of Brey's finest coaching efforts as he took a squad that was picked to finish 11th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches poll and guided that team to a 24-8 record and 11-5 mark in BIG EAST play following a 16-14 record and 6-10 campaign in league play the previous season. The Irish finished fourth in the final conference regular-season standings to earn a first-round bye in the BIG EAST Championship and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament for just the second time in school history. The 11-5 BIG EAST mark matched the best record and most wins by a Notre Dame team since becoming a league member in 1995-96.

For his efforts, Brey was honored for the first time as the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, the second such coach-of-the-year accolade he has earned during his 12-year head coaching tenure.

Notre Dame also was the only team in the BIG EAST to finish the season undefeated at home (18-0). It marked the most wins at the Joyce Center since its opening in 1968-69 and the third undefeated season for an Irish team at home during the regular season.

His recruiting impact already 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, Torin Francis in 2002 and current Irish sophomore Luke Zeller in 2005. In addition, Thomas and Zeller, both Indiana natives, won the prestigious Mr. Indiana Basketball award and are the only two recipients of the honor to come to Notre Dame.

Regarded as a true gentleman in the game today, Brey traveled to Kuwait in May of 2007 as part of Operation Hardwood IV, an event sponsored by the United Service Organization (USO) and Armed Forces Entertainment. For the Irish head coach, being amongst the service men and women proved to a life-changing and powerful experience.

NCAA Success at Notre Dame

Prior to Brey's arrival, Irish teams had not received an NCAA tournament bid in more than a decade. Before the berth in 2001, Notre Dame's last back-to-back NCAA appearances were in 1989 and 1990.

Brey's teams have faired well in their four NCAA trips. In '01, as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, Notre Dame defeated No. 11 seed Xavier, 83-71, and then dropped a 69-56 to No. 3 seed Mississippi.

Earning a No. 8 seed in the South Region in '02, Notre Dame dismantled No. 9 seed Charlotte, 82-63, in the first round before falling to top-ranked and defending national champion Duke, 84-77, in second-round action.

In '03, Brey and the Irish were focused on getting past the first weekend of basketball in March. Ranked for most of the season, Notre Dame earned a No. 5 seed in the West Region and played its first two NCAA games at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The Irish escaped with a 70-69 victory over No. 12 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee in its first-round game and then beat No. 4 seed Illinois 68-60 for their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1987.

Notre Dame made its fourth appearance in seven seasons under Brey in '07 by earning an at-large as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region.

Making Notre Dame into a BIG EAST Contender

Brey has guided the Irish to success in the BIG EAST Conference, leading his teams to a 66-46 regular-season mark (.589). In six of the last seven seasons, Notre Dame has won nine or more games and posted 10-plus wins in four of those seasons. Only the Irish, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have produced winning records in six of the last seven years, while the Panthers, Orange and Connecticut Huskies have had more 10-win seasons in league play (five) than Notre Dame (four).

Prior to the 2005-06 campaign, Notre Dame and Syracuse owned the distinction of being the only two schools to post winning conference records from 2000-05. Before to being named head coach before the start of the 2000-01 campaign, Irish teams were just 35-53 (.398) in their first five seasons in the league.

Less than nine months after Brey was named head coach, Notre Dame captured its first BIG EAST regular-season title with an 11-5 record in league play. The 11 conference wins were the most by an Irish team since becoming a league member in 1995-96 as Brey's squad clinched the league crown with a week remaining in the regular season.

Under Brey, Notre Dame was the only BIG EAST school to win 10-plus games from 2000-03 (his first three seasons). The Irish posted an 11-5 record in 2000-01 and 10-6 marks in both 2001-02 and 2002-03. In addition, the Irish were the only league team that played in the NCAA tournament in '01, '02 and '03.

The Irish's 21 BIG EAST wins were matched only by Connecticut and Boston College during the two-year period from 2000-02.

Brey's 31 BIG EAST regular-season wins in his first three seasons were, at the time, the third-most (tying him with Rollie Massimino of Villanova) by a coach in his first three seasons in the league.

Despite posting 9-7 records during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns, the Irish fell short of an NCAA tournament berth on both occasions. Notre Dame was the only team from one of the six major conferences (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC) to have a winning record in league play and not receive an NCAA bid in each of those two seasons.

Notre Dame's 6-10 BIG EAST record in 2005-06 marked the first losing season under Brey. After beginning the conference regular season 1-8, Notre Dame went 5-2 down the stretch to earn a spot in the 12-team BIG EAST Tournament field. The 10 BIG EAST losses were by a combined 35 points (3.5 per game).

The Irish rebounded in '06-'07 to finish 11-5 in BIG EAST regular-season play and advanced to the semifinals of the league championship at New York's Madison Square Garden for just the second time in school history. The Irish earned their semifinal appearance with an 89-83 quarterfinal victory over Syracuse and then bowed to eventual tournament champion Georgetown, 84-82, in the semifinals in what many considered one of the greatest tournament games in conference history. The 12 wins over BIG EAST foes (11 during the regular season and one in the conference championship) marked the most by a Notre Dame team over league foes.

Players Excel Under His Tutelage

Brey's track record of developing players has been evident when BIG EAST honors have been announced. In each of his seven seasons, he has had at least one player earn all-conference honors. In all, six players have been selected for first-team honors during his seven-year tenure.

For the first time in school history a year ago, Notre Dame had two players -- Russell Carter and Colin Falls -- earn first team all-BIG EAST honors, while Luke Harangody and Tory garnered all-rookie team accolades. In marked the biggest award haul for the Irish in 12 seasons as a BIG EAST member.

Chris Quinn, who played for the Irish from 2002-06, copped first-team BIG EAST honors in '06 and was named the recipient of the league's Sportsmanship Award. In addition, Quinn was named a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honoree, the school's first Academic All-America selection since 1998. He also was named to the Associated Press honorable mention All-America team.

In '05, Chris Thomas became the first Irish player to earn all-conference honors all four years when he was named a third-team selection. He also was a third-team honoree in '02 and a second-team selection in both '03 and '04. A two-time AP honorable mention honoree, he was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in '02, in addition to being selected the league's all-rookie team. Thomas also became Notre Dame's first and only selection to the BIG EAST Championship all-tournament team.

Basketball Times and Basketball News named Thomas, who was part of Brey's first recruiting class at Notre Dame, the national freshman-of-the year following his sensational rookie campaign.

From 2001-03, Notre Dame produced a first-team BIG EAST selection in each of those three seasons. In Brey's first season, Troy Murphy shared co-BIG EAST player-of-the-year honors and was a unanimous first team selection. In addition, he was a consensus All-America selection for the second time in his career.

Ryan Humphrey followed Murphy as a first-team selection in '02 as he also went on to earn second-team All-America honors from Basketball News. Matt Carroll, who concluded his career as the school's career three-point scoring leader, continued the streak in '03 and also garnered AP honorable mention All-America honors.

David Graves was a BIG EAST honorable mention selection in '02 (the third Irish player to earn all-conference honors that season) as was Torin Francis in '04 in his freshman season. As a freshman, Francis also became the second Irish player under Brey to be named to the all-rookie team.

Notre Dame was one of only four schools (the others were Duke, Indiana and Stanford) to have a player selected in the first round of the '01 and '02 NBA drafts. In the '02 draft, Humphrey was chosen as the 19th pick overall, while Murphy was the 14th player drafted in '01.

The Notre Dame Years

Brey's inaugural season at Notre Dame after being named the program's 17th head coach on July 14, 2000 could qualify as anything short of a whirlwind .

In his debut on the Irish sidelines on Nov. 18, the 48-year-old Rockville, Md., native, 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. Notre Dame finished with a 20-10 record overall and 11-5 mark in BIG EAST play as the Irish captured the West Division crown.

En route 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 College and Syracuse) for the first time since the 1991-92 campaign.

His squad finished 19th in the final Associated Press ranking (and were ranked as high as 10th at one time during the season) for the program's first ranking on a national basis since '89.

During the 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 BIG EAST tournament victory in the quarterfinal round.

The 2002-03 campaign marked just the sixth time at that point -- and first since 1986-87 -- a Notre Dame team had won 24 or more games. In recording a 24-10 record, the Irish defeated five top-10 opponents for the first time in school history. Those victories over top-10 teams also were the most by any school that season. The wins over those schools included a string of three straight (No. 10 Marquette, No. 8 Maryland and No. 2 Texas) in a six-day stretch in early December of '02. It also marked the first time in school history that Notre Dame defeated three consecutive top-10 opponents. After those three victories, the Irish made their season debut in the Associated Press ranking at No. 10 after being unranked prior to that point. It was the third-highest leap in the polls since the ranking began including 25 teams. In defeating the defending national champion Terrapins and the Longhorns, Notre Dame captured the prestigious BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C.

Notre Dame climbed to as high as fifth in the polls and finished the season 20th in the AP ranking and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The success for the Irish in the '03 NCAA tournament was notable as the Irish earned the No. 5 seed in the West Region, marking the highest seed for a Notre Dame team since '87. Notre Dame won a pair of games -- 70-69 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee and 68-60 vs. Illinois -- to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since the '86-'87 campaign.

In all seven seasons under Brey, Notre Dame has advanced to the postseason. From 2004-06, Notre Dame played in the National Invitation Tournament. His 2003-04 and 2004-05 teams narrowly missed making the NCAAs with the '03-'04 squad finishing with a 19-13 record overall and 9-7 mark in BIG EAST play, while the '04-'05 unit was 17-12 and 9-7 in the BIG EAST. The '05-'06 team advanced to the second round of the NIT and finished with a 16-14 overall record and 6-10 mark in the BIG EAST.

His Coaching Pedigree

In 12 seasons as a head coach, Brey's teams have won three conference titles.

And while the accomplishments of the past seven seasons 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.

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 a 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 continue Notre Dame's return to national prominence.

A former player and assistant coach for Wootten at DeMatha High School and a veteran of eight 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 has 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.

The Delaware Years

Brey led Delaware to unprecedented success during his five-year tenure as the Blue Hens' head coach from 1995-2000 including 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.

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 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 those 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 .659 winning percentage over the last eight 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 at Delaware were 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 Academic All-American and America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 1997-98.

Still regarded as a popular figure at the University, Brey was inducted into the Delaware Athletic Hall of Fame in November of 2007.

The Duke Experience

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 record (.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.

The DeMatha Years

Prior to entering the collegiate ranks, Brey previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., under Wootten before taking the assistant's post at Duke. He served as DeMatha head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant beginning in 1982. During the five years, DeMatha 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 DeMatha and helped the Stags finish with a combined 55-9 record. Brey received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from DeMatha in October of 2003.

An Active Member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Program

Mike Brey's dedication and involvement with the Coaches vs. Cancer (CVC) Program continues to produce record-setting numbers in the South Bend and Michiana areas. With a record $293,000 raised during 2006-07, Notre Dame ranks as a leader among universities and colleges across the country in monies raised for CVC and the American Cancer Society.

Since 2002, the Brey and his wife Tish have raised more than $1 million for the South Bend/Michiana community's fight against cancer. The couple has always been generous with their time and support for the program dating back to when Brey was the head coach at Delaware. While at the Newark, Del., school, they were actively involved in the CVC cause and helped make Delaware one of the top fundraising schools in the country.

Brey was the recipient of the 2003 CVC Champion Award, given annually by the CVC National Council and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He has been a national board member of the Council since February of '03.

He and Tish have been honored with several awards for their efforts in the community and were recent recipients of the '07 Franklin D. Roosevelt Award presented by the March of Dimes for their volunteer service to the South Bend area.

An Athletic Family

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, 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 athletics 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 100-yards and 100-meter butterfly events 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.

His mother also was a Purdue majorette and was present in Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 7, 1950, when the 19th-ranked Boilermakers upset the top-ranked Irish 27-14 in football. In addition, her brother Jack Mullen 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, was a former high school standout at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md. Beginning fall of '07, Brey began a three-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rules Committee.

He also received a Notre Dame honorary monogram in December of 2006.

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, formerly a volleyball standout at George Washington and assistant volleyball coach at Delaware. The couple has two children -- Kyle, 20 (born Jan. 11, 1987) and Callie, 17 (born April 5, 1990). Kyle was an all-star tight end at Penn High School and now is a sophomore tight end at the University of Buffalo, while Callie is a standout high school volleyball player at Edwardsburg High School in Michigan.