Michael Paul Brey[8] (born March 22, 1959) is an American basketball assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. He was previously the men's head basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame. Brey served as the coach for 23 seasons from his hiring in 2000 until his resignation at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Mike Brey
Brey in 2014
Atlanta Hawks
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1959-03-22) March 22, 1959 (age 65)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Career information
High schoolDeMatha Catholic
(Hyattsville, Maryland)
College
Coaching career1982–present
Career history
As coach:
1982–1987DeMatha HS (assistant)
1987–1995Duke (assistant)
1995–2000Delaware
2000–2023Notre Dame
2023–presentAtlanta Hawks (assistant)
Career highlights and awards

Early life and education edit

Brey, the son of Olympic swimmer Betty Brey,[9] graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland in 1977. As a two-year letter winner under coach Morgan Wootten, Brey helped the team to a 55–9 mark. He enrolled at Northwestern State University, where he played varsity basketball for three years (1977–1980). He played one season at George Washington in 1981–82 after sitting out the 1980–81 season as a transfer. He served as team captain and was named most valuable player with 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Colonials.[10] In 1982 Brey graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor's degree in physical education.

Coaching career edit

Brey returned to his former high school, becoming an assistant coach under Morgan Wootten. In 1987, he was hired by Duke University to assist Mike Krzyzewski, and in 1995 he took over his first head coaching job at the University of Delaware. Brey guided the Fightin' Blue Hens to a 99–51 record over five years, leading the team to two America East Conference Championships and subsequently two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2000, Brey became the head coach at the University of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish edit

In 2000, Brey succeeded Matt Doherty as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team. Notre Dame had not been to the NCAA tournament since 1990. Brey led the Irish to the NCAA tournament in his first three years as head coach (2001–2003), notching a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2003. He has since led the team to tournament appearances in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

On December 29, 2017, Brey tied Digger Phelps for most wins by a Notre Dame coach with 393.

2007–08 season edit

During the 2007–08 season, Brey led the Irish to a 24–6 regular-season mark. He was named the Big East Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season on March 11, 2008.[11] Notre Dame had a 45-game home winning streak between February 2006 and February 2009 – the second-longest in school history. By completing the 2007–2008 regular season 18–0 at home, Brey coached the first team in Big East history to have consecutive undefeated seasons at home.

On June 19, 2012, Brey signed a 10-year extension to remain the head coach of the Notre Dame Irish up until 2022. The financials were not released.

2014–15 season edit

During the 2014–15 season, Brey's Notre Dame team went 32–6 and won the ACC conference tournament. The squad advanced to the Elite Eight, losing a close game to Kentucky. The 32 wins were the most by a Notre Dame men's team since 1908–09. He also passed Hall of Famer George Keogan for second place on Notre Dame's all-time wins list, trailing only Digger Phelps.

2015–16 season edit

Notre Dame advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, defeating Michigan, Stephen F. Austin, and Wisconsin as the 6 seed in the East region. Notre Dame lost to North Carolina 88–74 in the Elite Eight.

2016–17 season edit

During the 2016–17 regular season, Brey's team went 23–8. They finished the season in a three-way tie with Florida State and Louisville. The Irish were given a 3-seed in the ACC tournament which guaranteed them a double bye. Notre Dame dominated its first two games against Virginia and Florida State and sparked another ACC tournament final appearance for the second time in three years. The Irish went on to lose in the tournament final to Duke, 75–69. Notre Dame received a 5-seed in the West Region of the NCAA tournament, and defeated Princeton in the first round before falling to West Virginia in the second round.

Resignation from Notre Dame edit

With his 2022–23 team struggling to stay out of the basement of the ACC standings, on January 19, 2023, Brey announced that the 2022–23 season would be his last as head coach at Notre Dame, although he said that he was definitely not done coaching.[12][13]

Atlanta Hawks edit

On June 15, 2023, Brey was hired as assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks.[14] He would reunite with then-head coach Quin Snyder, who played his junior and senior seasons at Duke while he was an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski. The two would then coach at Duke together during the 1994–1995 season.

Head coaching record edit

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (America East Conference) (1995–2000)
1995–96 Delaware 15–12 11–7 T–3rd
1996–97 Delaware 15–16 8–10 5th
1997–98 Delaware 20–10 12–6 T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
1998–99 Delaware 25–6 15–3 T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
1999–00 Delaware 24–8 14–4 3rd NIT first round
Delaware: 99–52 (.656) 60–30 (.667)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Big East Conference) (2000–2013)
2000–01 Notre Dame 20–10 11–5 1st (West) NCAA Division I Round of 32
2001–02 Notre Dame 22–11 10–6 2nd (West) NCAA Division I Round of 32
2002–03 Notre Dame 24–10 10–6 T–3rd (West) NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2003–04 Notre Dame 19–13 9–7 7th NIT quarterfinal
2004–05 Notre Dame 17–12 9–7 6th NIT first round
2005–06 Notre Dame 16–14 6–10 T–11th NIT second round
2006–07 Notre Dame 24–8 11–5 4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2007–08 Notre Dame 25–8 14–4 T–2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2008–09 Notre Dame 21–15 8–10 T–9th NIT semifinal
2009–10 Notre Dame 23–12 10–8 T–7th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2010–11 Notre Dame 27–7 14–4 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2011–12 Notre Dame 22–12 13–5 3rd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2012–13 Notre Dame 25–10 11–7 T–5th NCAA Division I Round of 64
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2013–2023)
2013–14 Notre Dame 15–17 6–12 T–12th
2014–15 Notre Dame 32–6 14–4 3rd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2015–16 Notre Dame 24–12 11–7 T–5th NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2016–17 Notre Dame 26–10 12–6 T–2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2017–18 Notre Dame 21–15 8–10 T–10th NIT second round
2018–19 Notre Dame 14–19 3–15 T–14th
2019–20 Notre Dame 20–12 10–10 T–6th N/A (COVID)
2020–21 Notre Dame 11–15 7–11 11th
2021–22 Notre Dame 24–11 15–5 T–2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2022–23 Notre Dame 11–21 3–17 14th
Notre Dame: 483–280 (.633) 225–181 (.554)
Total: 582–332 (.637)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References edit

  1. ^ Noie, Tom (March 7, 2007). "A big year for Brey". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Notre Dame's Harangody and Brey sweep Big East postseason awards". Sports Illustrated. March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2008.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Notre Dame's Hansbrough Named BIG EAST Player of the Year" Archived March 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. BigEast.org. Published 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  4. ^ "National awards: Jimmer clear choice as top player". Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  5. ^ "Sports Illustrated names Brey National Coach of the Year". www.wndu.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Notre Dame Athletics | the Fighting Irish". Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  7. ^ "Mike Brey Named Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Vol 1981: Potpourri". Northwestern State University. 1981. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Norlander, Matt (March 22, 2015). "Winning Notre Dame coach Mike Brey reveals his mom died on Saturday". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Notre Dame Athletics | The Fighting Irish". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website.
  11. ^ "Harangody, Brey Take Home Top Big East Honors". UHND.com. March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  12. ^ @tnoieNDI (January 19, 2023). "BREAKING: Source tells South Bend Tribune that #NotreDame coach Mike Brey will retire at end of season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Young, Ryan (February 13, 2023). "Longtime Notre Dame coach Mike Brey not retiring despite plans to leave Fighting Irish". yahoosports.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Hawks' Quin Snyder finalizes coaching staff, includes Igor Kokoskov & Mike Brey". NBA.com. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

External links edit