Mike Brey

Notre Dame plays Xavier at 9:45 Friday night on WSBT-TV, in the NCAA Tournament.   For many of the Irish starters, this will be their first NCAA tourney experience, but that doesn't concern the team, or head coach Mike Brey.   WSBT's David McCoy is in Greensboro following the team, and explains in his video.  

Notre Dame is NOT widely expected to have a great season this year in men's basketball. With three starters to replace, I can see why. But I've also learned that when Mike Brey is faced with his biggest challenges…that's usually when he surprises us the most. Think back to 2006. Notre Dame was mired in a 3-year NCAA drought and weren't expected to finish anywhere near the top of the Big East. But Brey coached them to a 24-8….didn't lose at home…and Russell Carter emerged from complete obscurity to be a first team all BIG EAST selection and helped lead the Irish back to the big dance.

It counts as just one win on the resume.  But Notre Dame's victory in five overtimes Saturday feels like it's worth a whole lot more!   Somewhere between 11:00 Saturday night... and 1 am Sunday morning, Mike Brey's team put the fight, back in the Fighting Irish! Nothing about the first 39 minutes of regulation against 11th ranked Louisville suggested the Irish would walk-off the court victorious on Saturday.  They shot the ball so poorly, that at one stretch in the 2nd half, they went ten full minutes without a single basket!

After leading Notre Dame to a 2 nd place finish in the BIG EAST, and the No. 4 ranking in the nation, Mike Brey was named the national coach of the year by Sports Illustrated . Notre Dame is 25-5 heading into the BIG EAST quarterfinals, and the 2-seed in the conference tournament.  The Irish were picked to finish 11 th in the BIG EAST preseason poll, as voted on by league coaches.  Tuesday, those same coaches voted Brey the BIG EAST coach of the year, marking the third time in the last five seasons he’s won the award.

Sixty-four head coaches. In a tournament-style bracket. It's called "Shots from the Heart. " "I thought it was a neat thing to do," said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, who took his shots Monday. "Plus, we can make free throws, so I'm signing up. If it was a dunk contest, maybe we'd have to put (director of basketball operations Harold) Swanagan out there. " Each coach shoots 25 free throws, with the final five worth extra points, for a total possible score of 31. And a chance to practice what you preach.

 NOTRE DAME, Ind. - TFor the second year in a row, the defending national champions are coming to Purcell Pavilion.  Notre Dame will face defending national champion Kentucky in the 2012 SEC-BIG EAST Challenge at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on Thursday, Nov. 29.  “I'm thrilled about this matchup and the opportunity to play Kentucky,” head coach Brey says. “These two schools have a long tradition of playing each other and we've been exploring options for renewing the rivalry.  With all five of our starters returning next year, this is going to be a great early non-conference test for us.  I'm excited that our fans will have the chance to be a part of such a powerful and meaningful game so early on in our season.” This year's matchup will be the 61 st  meeting between the two teams with Kentucky owning a 42-18 advantage in the series.  The Wildcats' last visit to Purcell Pavilion was on March 25, 2009 in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament as the Irish snapped a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky with a 77-67 victory.  The Wildcats are 5-2 all-time in seven appearances at Purcell Pavilion.  It will be the seventh time under Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey that the Irish will face Kentucky.

"At age 22, you’re a man. Make a decision.” Mike Brey's summary of Carleton Scott’s decision summarizes life, as Scott now knows it. He's entering a man's world and a man's game. He hopes. Scott has an NBA body…and potential. So what does he have to lose by entering the draft now? Certainly, a chance to improve his stock, by showcasing his game on national TV every night in the BIG East for another year. And if he doesn’t make it he’s passed up that opportunity, for a life in the D-league or overseas.

NEW YORK, N.Y. --- After a fantastic season, in which they surpassed everyone’s expectations except maybe their own, Notre Dame sweeps the Big East awards!  Senior Ben Hansbrough is the BIG EAST player of the year.  Mike Brey  is the BIG EAST coach of the year.  And senior Tim Abromaitis is the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year. This is the third time in five years Brey has been selected the league’s top coach by his peers. Brey is the fifth BIG EAST coach to win the award on three or more occasions.

Three high school seniors signed national letters of intent to play college basketball at Notre Dame, the school announced today. Zach Auguste (Malborough, Mass./New Hampton School), Cameron Biedscheid (St.Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter College Prep) and Austin Burgett (Avon, Ind./Avon) will enroll at Notre Dame in the fall of 2012. The class overall is currently ranked 16 th by Rivals.com with Biedscheid (30) and Auguste (93) both listed inRivals' top 100 list among this year's senior class.

It counts as just one win on the resume.  But Notre Dame's victory in five overtimes Saturday feels like it's worth a whole lot more!   Somewhere between 11:00 Saturday night... and 1 am Sunday morning, Mike Brey's team put the fight, back in the Fighting Irish! Nothing about the first 39 minutes of regulation against 11th ranked Louisville suggested the Irish would walk-off the court victorious on Saturday.  They shot the ball so poorly, that at one stretch in the 2nd half, they went ten full minutes without a single basket!

I wanted to wait a few days to see how I really felt about Notre Dame's new association with the Atlantic Coast Conference. After all it really did come out of the blue, the Vatican and the CIA working together could not have kept the big news this quiet.  With the value of time and thought, I like the arrangement even more than I first did and not just because of football. The case was closed when my wife asked if we could make road trips to ACC away games. I can see us now in the big old rented van with the two dogs, ND pennants flying from the side of the RV heading off to Chapel Hill or the Civil War battlefields of Virginia before a game with the Cavaliers.

 NOTRE DAME, Ind. - TFor the second year in a row, the defending national champions are coming to Purcell Pavilion.  Notre Dame will face defending national champion Kentucky in the 2012 SEC-BIG EAST Challenge at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on Thursday, Nov. 29.  “I'm thrilled about this matchup and the opportunity to play Kentucky,” head coach Brey says. “These two schools have a long tradition of playing each other and we've been exploring options for renewing the rivalry.  With all five of our starters returning next year, this is going to be a great early non-conference test for us.  I'm excited that our fans will have the chance to be a part of such a powerful and meaningful game so early on in our season.” This year's matchup will be the 61 st  meeting between the two teams with Kentucky owning a 42-18 advantage in the series.  The Wildcats' last visit to Purcell Pavilion was on March 25, 2009 in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament as the Irish snapped a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky with a 77-67 victory.  The Wildcats are 5-2 all-time in seven appearances at Purcell Pavilion.  It will be the seventh time under Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey that the Irish will face Kentucky.

NOTRE DAME - Notre Dame men's basketball forward Scott Martin has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return to play for the Irish in 2012-13. Martin averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in helping lead the Irish to a 22-12 record in 2011-12.  He's only played three years of college basketball.  MArtin transferred to Notre Dame in June of 2008 following his freshman year (2007-08) at Purdue University. After sitting out the 2008-09 campaign due to the NCAA transfer rule, Martin missed the entire 2009-10 season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.  “We're thrilled in the NCAA's decision to grant Scott a sixth year of eligibility,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said.

Notre Dame plays Xavier at 9:45 Friday night on WSBT-TV, in the NCAA Tournament.   For many of the Irish starters, this will be their first NCAA tourney experience, but that doesn't concern the team, or head coach Mike Brey.   WSBT's David McCoy is in Greensboro following the team, and explains in his video.  

Three high school seniors signed national letters of intent to play college basketball at Notre Dame, the school announced today. Zach Auguste (Malborough, Mass./New Hampton School), Cameron Biedscheid (St.Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter College Prep) and Austin Burgett (Avon, Ind./Avon) will enroll at Notre Dame in the fall of 2012. The class overall is currently ranked 16 th by Rivals.com with Biedscheid (30) and Auguste (93) both listed inRivals' top 100 list among this year's senior class.

Notre Dame is NOT widely expected to have a great season this year in men's basketball. With three starters to replace, I can see why. But I've also learned that when Mike Brey is faced with his biggest challenges…that's usually when he surprises us the most. Think back to 2006. Notre Dame was mired in a 3-year NCAA drought and weren't expected to finish anywhere near the top of the Big East. But Brey coached them to a 24-8….didn't lose at home…and Russell Carter emerged from complete obscurity to be a first team all BIG EAST selection and helped lead the Irish back to the big dance.

"At age 22, you’re a man. Make a decision.” Mike Brey's summary of Carleton Scott’s decision summarizes life, as Scott now knows it. He's entering a man's world and a man's game. He hopes. Scott has an NBA body…and potential. So what does he have to lose by entering the draft now? Certainly, a chance to improve his stock, by showcasing his game on national TV every night in the BIG East for another year. And if he doesn’t make it he’s passed up that opportunity, for a life in the D-league or overseas.

On the day he planned to make official his college choice, Eric Katenda awoke Tuesday morning in Bel Aire, Kan., with a slight problem. “I didn’t know where I was going,” Katenda said late Tuesday afternoon. “I was unsure.” Katenda would choose between Wake Forest (8-24 last season), where he likely would secure the all-important early playing time, or Notre Dame, a team loaded with veterans fresh off a 27-7 season. Taking a page from Charlie Sheen, Katenda chose winning.