Notre Dame’s Mike Brey To ‘Step Down’ After Season

Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey will “step down” at the end of this season, the school announced.

Brey, 63, is in his 23rd season with the Irish. He is a four-time ACC Coach of the Year, was the 2011 National Coach of the Year and led the Irish to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2015 and ‘16.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

His career coaching mark is 580-319 (.645), including a stint at Delaware. Prior to that he was an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and before that an assistant at DeMatha Catholic (MD) High School, which later enabled him to recruit many players from that school and area.

The program has fallen off in recent years and has only been to the NCAA Tournament once since 2018. This year the Irish are 9-10, 1-7 in the ACC.

“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 AD 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.”

Some early possible replacements are Chris Quinn, a former Notre Dame guard (2002-06) who is now an assistant with the Miami Heat, current Oklahoma and former Loyola Chicago coach Porter Moser and current Loyola coach Drew Valentine.