Defense Wins Championships

While this is predominantly a football blog, I cannot help buy digress to basketball after the atrocious play I have witnessed this year, especially recently. For me, it all started with a home loss to Loyola Marymount, which is inexcusable and down right pathetic. Ultimately, I believe it begs the question, should Mike Brey be fired?

In football, like my man Swarbrick, I expect Notre Dame to be in the mix for a BCS berth every year. Therefore, in basketball, I expect Notre Dame to be in the mix for a NCAA berth every year. Reasonably, I believe ND should make the tourney every 4 out of 5 years. I realize it may seem high, but why set expectations low?

Playing in the Big East, ND has ample opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament and needs only to finish in the top 8 to do so with relative ease. Therefore, if goal #1 is to make the NCAAs, then its realistic to expect Notre Dame to be in the mix for the Big East title every few years, but annually finish in the upper half of the league. Brey's squad won the West Division title in his first season (2000-2001), and finished 2nd in 2007-2008. Otherwise, ND has finished all over the standings.

With those two goals in mind, here is the Mike Brey resume:

- 10th year as Irish Head Coach
- 287-153 career record - .652 winning percentage
- 88-60 Big East record - .595 winning percentage
- 5 NCAA berths - Sweet Sixteen (2002-2003) - .500 winning percentage
- 4-4 NCAA Tournament Record - .500 winning percentage
- 4-9 Big East Tournament Record - .307 winning percentage
- 6 20 win seasons (*Used tournament wins to reach 20 wins in season)
- 2 time Big East Coach of the Year

Record by the Years:
2000-2001: 20-10* NCAA
2001-2002: 22-11 NCAA
2002-2003: 24-10 NCAA
2003-2004: 19-13
2004-2005: 17-12
2005-2006: 16-14
2006-2007: 24-8 NCAA
2007-2008: 25-8 NCAA
2008-2009: 21-15*
2009-2010: 17-7

My biggest disappointment is the Big East Tournament record. Each and every year the Irish falter in the Big East Tournament, even when they get a first round bye. This to me, is unacceptable. If the aforementioned goal is to compete in the Big East, then Brey must get his team motivated to play on its biggest stage. Not to mention, success in conference tournaments at the end of year substantially influences, positive or negative, an NCAA Tournament invite. With Brey only making the tournament 2 out of the last 7 chances (assuming the Irish do not make the tourney this year), my expectations for the Notre Dame program are not being met.

Now, one could counter that basketball is a secondary program at Notre Dame behind football, (arguably it could be 5th behind Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball, and Ice Hockey) but that is only an excuse. I do agree that the administration needs to devote more attention and resources to the basketball program if it truly wants success. With the facilities now in place, the next step is choosing a quality, top-notch coach. Now, one could argue that no coach better than Brey wants to come to Notre Dame, but that is another excuse. How do you truly know if you don't even search? Personally, I believe Brad Stevens at Butler would be a great fit and a viable option.

And don't even get me started on recruiting. Before you play the academic card, which I absolutely despise, each year Brey is in the mix for quality, high-caliber recruits that could easily handle basketball and academics at ND. While Brey has landed heralded recruits such as Torin Francis, Chris Thomas, and Luke Zeller, he has equally whiffed on Tyler Zeller(UNC), Austin Freeman(Georgetown), Ryan Kelly(Duke) and most recently Tobias Harris(Tennessee). Not to mention that it blows my mind Brey and ND did not heavily pursue Renaldo Woolridge, son of ND legend Orlando Woolridge, now a sophomore starter at Tennessee.

There are many factors that determine a coach's success at a school. All this considered, Mike Brey, on paper, seems to be an average coach, which for Notre Dame basketball is great. But at what point, do we, as Notre Dame Basketball loyalist, start to say we can do better?

Ironically, Mike Brey reminds me of Charlie Weis. He entered Notre Dame and found immediate success, only to be followed by a steady decline. Yet when judging his resume, everyone holds firm on that early success. I believe we must look more to the present and the future. There is no reason why Notre Dame basketball should settle for average. Mike Brey has no doubt placed the Notre Dame basketball program on solid footing, but that does not entitle him to a lifetime contract. With success comes elevated expectations. Mike Brey has not fulfilled those. Therefore, I believe it is time for Brey to move on.

-DH