Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey to leave program at end of season

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Mike Brey is stepping away as head coach of the Notre Dame men’s basketball team at the end of the 2022-2023 season.

The announcement was confirmed in a press release sent out by Notre Dame Athletics on Thursday evening. Brey will meet with the media on Friday at 11 a.m., where more details are expected. The event will be live streamed for the public on UND.com.

Brey later confirmed the news on Twitter and thanked the university.

Brey is in his 23rd season as head coach of the Irish. He has more wins than any other head coach in program history with 481. That number also ranks sixth among active NCAA coaches at their current Division-I schools.

Meanwhile, he’s led the Irish to 13 NCAA Tournament berths — including three Sweet 16 trips and two Elite Eight appearances. He also led Notre Dame to an ACC Tournament championship in 2015.

Prior to taking over as head coach for the Fighting Irish in 2000, Brey was head coach at Delaware for five seasons, where he won 99 games and two conference tournament championships.

Before Brey’s tenure, the Irish hadn’t qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1990. He led them to three straight tournaments to start his time in South Bend, including a Sweet 16 in 2003.

In 2012, he signed a 10-year contract extension, which officially is set to expire at the end of this season.

It hasn’t exactly been the fairy tale ending to his tenure that he or his fans were likely hoping for. Currently, the Irish are 9-10 on the season, with a 1-7 record in ACC play. The struggles come just one season after the Fighting Irish made it to the big dance.

Brey has been visibly frustrated on the sidelines and during postgame press conferences over the course of the season. After Tuesday’s loss at home to Florida State, Brey emotionally admitted that he hasn’t done enough to put his guys in position to succeed.

Press release from Notre Dame Athletics:

The University of Notre Dame announced today that Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey will step away from the program at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

“Mike (Brey) and I have talked often in recent years about a future transition in the program’s leadership and during our most recent conversation we reached the mutual conclusion that the end of this season represented the right time,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick.

“That Mike (Brey) is the winningest coach in the 119-year history of Notre Dame men’s basketball speaks to his skill as a teacher of the game. His even greater legacy, however, lies in his achievements as an educator and mentor of the young men who played for him. In that sense, he represents this University as well as any coach I have worked with during my time at Notre Dame. And for that reason, I look forward to working with Mike to define his future role within Notre Dame Athletics.”

“For over two decades Mike Brey’s program has maintained the highest integrity, graduated its student athletes and achieved tremendous success on the court,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame. “Despite the many pressures of his sport, he remained at heart a teacher of young men, helping them play at the highest level while growing into adults and preparing for success beyond basketball.”

Brey has compiled 481 victories with the Irish, which ranks sixth among active NCAA coaches at their current Division-I schools. Career wise, Brey has achieved a 580-321 (.644) record spanning 28 years at Notre Dame and Delaware. Both his career wins and career games coached rank among the top-20 in active head coaches in Division-I and he’s produced 16 20-win seasons at the helm.

Brey has always loved playing at home in front of the Notre Dame students and Irish faithful, and his record backs up that sentiment. Under Brey’s guidance, the Irish have gone 314-76 (.805) inside Purcell Pavilion, which ranks as the 15th-most home wins in the country since 2000.

“It has been a great run for me and our program over the past two decades, but it is time for a new voice to lead this group into the future,” said Brey. “I want to thank our student-athletes, assistant coaches and support staff who have played such a key role in the culture we have created.”

“From Fr. Malloy hiring me, to Fr. Jenkins’ guidance and Jack’s (Swarbrick) friendship, I leave this place with immense gratitude to the University and I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I look forward to working with Jack in any role that can help the Notre Dame family.”

Brey-led Irish squads have reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times, earning 15 victories along the way which ties for the most in program history. Furthermore, Notre Dame was the only school in the nation to earn back-to-back Elite Eight runs in the 2015 and 2016 season.

Brey has also achieved enormous conference success and recognition over the past two decades. A three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (2007, 2008, 2011), he finished his tenure in the BIG EAST as the league’s fourth all-time winningest coach with 146 wins (now tied for fifth).

Most notably he went 27-7 in 2011 with a perfect 17-0 record at home. As a result he was named the 2011 A.P. Coach of the Year, USBWA Henry Iba Coach of the Year and Basketball Times Coach of the Year.

It didn’t take long after joining in the ACC in 2013 for Brey and the Irish to make an impression. In 2015, Notre Dame produced a program record 32-6 and defeated Miami, Duke and North Carolina in Greensboro to claim the 2015 ACC Tournament championship. Since, the Irish made an ACC Tournament semifinal appearance in 2016 and title-game appearance in 2017.

Brey has coached six All-Americans, three conference players of the year, 26 different all-conference selections and two Academic All-Americans. In addition, seven student-athletes fulfilled their dreams of being drafted into the NBA under his watch.

Brey will meet with the media on Friday, January 20, 2023, at 11am ET - the event will be live streamed for the public on UND.com.

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