Mike Brey always keeps it loose, even as he nears Notre Dame wins record
Mike Brey still remembers a reporter's question after Notre Dame hired him in 2000 as its basketball coach.
"First question was, 'Is this a job you want to stay at? If you get it going, are you going to leave?' " Brey recalled. "My answer was, 'My god, first of all, I want to do well enough to not get fired.' But, boy, if this could be your last coaching job, it would be awesome."
The program was searching for footing after Matt Doherty's quick departure for North Carolina after one season in South Bend. Many wondered if the Irish also would serve as a stepping-stone for Brey, a former Duke assistant and head coach at Delaware considered an up-and-comer in the industry at age 41.
When reporters stopped by his office, he would take his Duke championship rings from his desk drawer and jokingly offer them away, a shtick to show he wanted to win his own with the Irish.
Brey has since become a cornerstone not only in Notre Dame athletics, but also in college basketball. When he took over, the Irish hadn't been to an NCAA Tournament in a decade. Tumbleweeds
