Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A Mike Brey Deserves Praise FIGHTING WORDS WES MORGAN basketball coach Mike Brey's house until he returned from Greensboro, N.C., in the hours that followed the team's second-round loss to Xavier on March 16. The backlash was inevitable con- large number of Notre Dame fans were eager to grab pitchforks and torches and wait outside men's member of the "Jersey Shore" getting awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Yet the Irish, with first-time start- sidering the opinion of Brey by Irish supporters changes from day to day. Add to it that courage to criticize in the digital age comes much easier behind a wall of anonymity. But the mob men- tality was even angrier than I expected. That seems to be (albeit slightly ers in sophomore guards Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant. freshman swingman Pat Connaughton (freshman) and ju- nior forward Jack Cooley, and a bench barely deeper than a New York slice of pizza, rattled off nine consecutive league victories — a program record — en route to a third-place finish in the Big East and a 21-10 regular-season record. They did it without Abromaitis, exaggerated) one side's response af- ter the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish unceremoniously exited the NCAA Tournament with a 67-63 loss to the 10th-seeded Musketeers. Never mind that the game ended in controversy — a lane violation that cost the Irish a chance to tie it up in the closing sec- onds — and somehow this was Brey's fault. Again. Then there's the opposite end of the spectrum, where legions of fans would come to Brey's defense even if he never won another NCAA Tourna- ment game, was caught running an illegal sweatshop out of the team prac- tice facility and was mean to animals. There is, of course, an assemblage Despite losing star forward and team co-captain Tim Abromaitis (above) early in the year with a knee injury, Brey guided the inexperienced Irish to a third-place finish in the Big East and a 21-10 regular-season record. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND What's your record? I need to see your playing stats before you start doing that." My playing stats weren't all that im- of ND fans that are upset only when Brey and the boys lose because there may have been a football recruit in the stands. That's where their emotional investment into the hoops program begins and ends. But for the most part, Brey's 12-year tenure is a polarizing topic. One group ignores the number of pressive. I had a weak left hand for a point guard and an inconsistent jump shot. But that's neither here nor there. The fact is, coaches are judged by what they do or don't accomplish on the big stage, especially when they've had multiple opportunities. I'm also torn. Brey is an excellent without forward Carleton Scott (who left the team with a year of eligibility remaining to pursue a professional ca- reer) and without, at times, a full house at Purcell Pavilion to support them along the way. That inexperience caught up to the Irish in Greensboro, N.C., where un- characteristic lapses in poise down the stretch, particularly with under a min- ute to play, resulted in a one-and-done finish to the 2011-12 campaign. It was a fiery crash difficult to excuse. "I think that's youth a little bit and the attention to detail and the inten- sity of the situation," Brey said. "It's not one play that lost it, though. We had some mistakes in the last four minutes." Brey has a new contract to discuss 20-win seasons Brey has pumped out (nine) and underscores tournament futility under his watch. The Irish have won two NCAA Tournament games since 2003, beating George Mason (2008) and Akron (2011), and are now 6-8 overall with Brey choreographing their Dance steps. Even the suggestion that head coaches are evaluated by tournament results touched a nerve with Brey on Selection Sunday. "Who said coaches are judged on www.BLUEANDGOLD.com coach and seems to be the perfect fit for Notre Dame in terms of his philosophy and personality. He's economical in the way he has extracted the most out of rosters that have featured just three NBA Draft picks (Luke Harangody, Ryan Humphrey and Troy Murphy). Under his guidance, the Irish consis- tently win the games they're supposed to, sprinkling in a few upsets — none bigger than a victory over No. 1 Syra- cuse in January — along the way. Brey puts this program in position to suc- ceed on a yearly basis. What Brey and his staff managed tournaments?" Brey asked in response to my generalization. "What rule- book is that in? Is that your rulebook? to pull off this winter is hard to wrap one's head around. Before losing star forward and team co-captain Tim Abromaitis (knee) for the year, Notre Dame was picked ninth in the Big East preseason coaches poll. The chances of making a run at a league title and getting to the NCAA Tournament were only slightly better than any cast with Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick in the coming weeks — one that should keep the head coach in South Bend for years to come. He's go- ing to need to make more of a splash in the NCAA Tournament — preferably as soon as next season — get to the finals of the Big East Championship and continue to bring in better recruits if he's going to be remembered as a great coach that could deliver under the bright lights, rather than a good coach that got to the postseason regu- larly but couldn't shift to the next gear. No matter how talented he truly is, those are the rules. But it would be a mistake to ignore what he accomplished this year — a masterful effort, all things considered. There's an exception to every rule. ✦ Assitant Editor Wes Morgan has been with Blue & Gold Illustrated since February 2011. He can be reached at wmorgan@blueandgold.com APRIL 2012 5