Mike Brey Receives Contract Extension
Notre Dame announced Tuesday morning the extension of men’s basketball coach Mike Brey’s contract through the 2024-25 season.
If completed, Brey will have served 25 years on the Irish bench by the end of the deal, which would make him the longest tenured coach in program history with both Digger Phelps and George E. Keogan having served 20 years at the helm.
“As I said, what was it 18 years ago?” Brey recalled. “You’re hoping you could be good enough to retire here if they don’t run you out of town. With this one we just signed, you may just pull it off. You never think it. You get here and you’re just trying to survive day to day.
“I’ve been honored to coach here. … It’s a special place. I got some years left in me.”
Brey will be 65 by the end of the contract, and has no intentions of finishing his career anywhere else but South Bend.
“I’m 59 and I’ve got good energy,” Brey said. “You feel maybe it would be time to do something else, but who knows? Maybe I’ll be crazy and try to be like [Jim] Boeheim and [Mike] Krzyzewski and go until I’m 70.
“You’re not interested in coaching at another college. This has been it. I love where we are. I love the young players coming in. The practice facility has me excited. … I’m thrilled with where we are at. I love where my staff is now.”
The 2017-18 season, despite the injuries, was still one full of milestones for the Irish head coach. He surpassed Phelps in early January as the all-time winningest coach in program history when he captured his 394th win over North Carolina State. Brey currently sits with 403 wins on the Irish bench.
With a first-round ACC Tournament win over Pittsburgh, Brey became the 11th active head coach to record 500 career wins while coaching at just one or two schools, joining Krzyzewski, Boeheim, Jay Wright, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Mark Few, Greg Kampe, Tony Shaver, Fran Dunphy and Bob McKillop.
“Mike Brey has built one of the most consistently successful programs in the country,” vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said in the university press release. “And the foundation of that success is a winning culture that develops the members of his teams as both basketball players and young men.
“He is a perfect fit for Notre Dame and we are excited to have him lead our program well into the future.”
Brey’s original deal was scheduled to run out after the 2021-22 campaign. Financial terms were not disclosed. The full release can be FOUND HERE.
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