SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame's winningest men's basketball coach, Mike Brey, has decided to step down at the end of his school-record 23rd season, school officials announced Thursday.
Brey, 63, has been the leader in South Bend since 2000. His 481 wins are the most in program history, and he led Notre Dame to an ACC Tournament title in 2014 and the school’s first and only 30+ win season. Brey’s brightest stretch came from 2014-2017, when the Irish made the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons and went a combined 82-28.
"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," Brey said in a statement released by the university. "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."
Despite the accolades, which includes back-to-back Elite 8 appearances, Notre Dame hasn’t been particularly relevant in the college basketball landscape lately. They currently sit 9-10 and in 13th place in the ACC, and are a pedestrian 78-67 with one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past five seasons.
“Replacing Brey is not going to be an easy task at Notre Dame,” Locked on College Basketball host Andy Patton said. “But perhaps some new blood will be able to invigorate a sleeping giant and bring basketball glory back to the state of Indiana, which could quite frankly use it right now.”
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Notre Dame hasn’t indicated if they intend to look internally or externally for their next head coach, but the position expects to draw plenty of suitors thanks to brand recognition and a spot in the ACC.
Brey arrived in July 2000, taking over a stagnant program and guiding it back to national prominence and title contention in two different conferences.
Lately, though, it's been more of a challenge. The Irish ended a five-year tourney drought last season when they went 24-11, but have struggled to a 9-8 mark this season, going 1-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.