Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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New Neighborhood Head coach Mike Brey leads fast break to the ACC By Wes Morgan It was as if Mike Brey had just finished applying a fresh coat of paint to his house, had only a few remaining landscaping bricks to place and a couple unruly bushes to trim before being able to boast one of the sharpest properties on the block. Then he was told the property value had plummeted and he needed to pack up and move to a more attractive neighborhood. He was enthusiastic, but couldn’t help but look over his shoulder. The Notre Dame men’s basketball coach was asked on Sept. 12, soon after the university announced it would join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2015 along with all other Irish Olympic sports, how he felt about leaving the Big East after 12 years of sweat equity — and after establishing a footprint in what once was considered the most talent-rich hoops alliance in the nation. “Yeah, personally, I have a little bit of mixed emotions because we built an identity in the Big East,” said Brey, who traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., with athletics director Jack Swarbrick for a press conference with ACC officials. “We’ve got great momentum there. Having said that, as this thing has unfolded in the last several months, and Jack has kept me in the loop, I’ve gotten really excited about it. I grew up with ACC roots, growing up near the University of Maryland — [and] eight years [as an assistant] at Duke. I think it’s great for our basketball program; it’s a shot in the arm.” It’s another cannon ball blast to the Big East’s crumbling castle walls. Fellow defectors Pittsburgh and Syracuse are scheduled to begin playing in the ACC in 2013-14 after paying early exit penalties to the Big East. It’s unclear whether or not Notre Dame will open its wallet to hasten the move (it is currently obligated to wait 27 months), though Swarbrick and Brey both agreed that expediting the process is probably in everyone’s best interest. What is obvious, however, is that the ACC will soon reign supreme in college basketball. “Again, the depth of this league … we just had a league in the Big East that had unbelievable depth,” explained Brey, a three-time Big East Coach of the Year and last season’s Associated Press National Coach of the Year. “As a matter of fact, everybody was jealous of the depth. Maybe that’s why some people were picked off, and I guess we followed today. “So the depth is now in this league, and I’m glad we’re in it because you want to be part of the NCAA Tournament. If you can get half your league in, which this league is probably going to start pointing toward, then you’ve got a pretty good coaching job.” The ACC, with the addition of Notre Dame, expands to 15 teams in men’s and women’s basketball. Commissioner John Swofford said there’s no plan to split the conference into two divisions, and that scheduling details have yet to be sorted out. Brey likes the idea of reuniting with Pitt, Syracuse and football/Catholic rival Boston College. What’s most enticing are the stability and cache the ACC offers moving forward. “When I look at it, it’s hard to argue how deep we are with all the teams,” Brey said. “I don’t know if anybody else comes close. I think I know something about depth coming from what I came from in the Big East. We got 10 bids two years ago, and we almost got an 11th bid. But I think when you look at it, it’s hard to argue — this is now the deepest league. It’s the one that’s really going to be watched. For us to be part of that is great for our program.” Brey served as an assistant under Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski for eight years (1987-95). Before that, he got his coaching start at alma mater DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., where he spent five seasons under legendary prep coach Morgan Wootten. He’s always felt he was an ACC guy at heart. And when Swarbrick first brought up a conference move, which was rumored to include interest in the Big 12, Brey insisted: “Just keep us East, man.” Notre Dame joined the Big East in all sports other than football and hockey in 1995. Former Irish head coach John MacLeod ushered men’s hoops into the rugged conference and finished 27-45 in league play in the team’s first four seasons. Matt Doherty’s one-year tenure as head coach produced an 8-8 mark in the Big East. Brey has finished with losing conference records only twice in 12 seasons (6-10 in 2005-06 and 8-10 in 2008‑09). Over the last two years, Notre Dame has posted a 27-9 record in the league, advancing to the Big East Tournament semifinals both years. Brey, who in June signed a 10-year contract extension through the 2021-22 campaign, is 124-75 overall in Big East play. Now he’ll add another page to his growing résumé, testing his coaching acumen in another elite league. “I’m still kind of grasping that, because this just kind of came up yesterday,” he said of coaching in another powerhouse conference. “I didn’t know if it would really ever happen. For me, it kind of touches down deep, because I grew up an ACC guy. … I’ve always followed the league closely. Maybe I’ve come full circle here for the stretch run.” Hoops Recruits React Positively To ACC Mishawaka (Ind.) Marian four-star point guard Demetrius Jackson remains at the top of Notre Dame’s 2013 wish list. Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 56 prospect nationally, the No. 10 point guard in the country and the third-best recruit in the state of Indiana, Jackson recently made another unofficial visit for the Purdue football game on Sept. 8. Living just a few miles from campus, Jackson (6-2, 185 pounds) knows Notre Dame well. The news of Fighting Irish Olympic sports, most notably men’s basketball, joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2015 (or earlier) certainly piqued his interest. “Notre Dame joining the ACC is definitely a great move,” he said hours after the announcement that head coach Mike Brey and Co. would leave the storied Big East. “To be the best you have to beat the best, and with that move Notre Dame will be competing against them. It’s very attractive to me because I want to be the best.” Jackson, who has taken only one official visit (Illinois), will make an official jaunt to Notre Dame on the weekend of Sept. 20-21 when Michigan football rolls into town. “I always have a blast at ND,” he said. He has no other official visits scheduled at this time. Notre Dame, Illinois and Kansas appear to be the top three schools on his short list. Jackson said he’ll make a decision before the start of his senior season at Marian. Jackson’s close friend, New Haven (Ind.) star forward V.J. Beachem (2013), verbally committed to play for Notre Dame and head coach Mike Brey back in October. Beachem said at the time that playing close to home and competing in the Big East Conference significantly factored into his decision. Now that it has been announced the Fighting Irish will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, his feelings haven’t changed one bit. “I think it’s a good move for everyone — ND and the ACC,” Beachem said. The 6-7, 180-pounder is the 98th-ranked recruit in the country in the 2013 class according to 247Sports, which also rates him as the No. 22 small forward nationally and the fifth-best prospect in the state of Indiana. — Wes Morgan