May 3, 2007, 16:35 GMT
South Bend, IN - Notre Dame head basketball coach Mike Brey has signed a two-year extension that will keep him under contract with the Fighting Irish through the 2012-13 season.
Brey, who just finished his seventh season at the helm of the Irish, was named the 2007 Big East Conference coach of the year after leading Notre Dame to a 24-8 record and reaching the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in seven seasons.
The Irish lost 74-64 to Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA tournament but finished No. 17 in the final Associated Press basketball poll, its best finish since 1986.
'Mike has our program on the rise, as evidenced by the tremendously exciting season that recently concluded with a bid to the NCAA Tournament,' said Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins. 'He has led our team with consistency and class for the past seven years, and represented well the values and ideals of Notre Dame athletics. I look forward to still more success in the future.'
Brey has recorded a 142-78 record with the Irish and a career coaching record of 241-130, which included five years at Delaware before arriving in South Bend.
'Mike is a highly gifted and talented leader, who has a great sense of what it takes to be extremely competitive within the Big East Conference, as well as nationally,' Irish athletic director Kevin White said. 'His recent selection by his peers, as the Big East coach of the year, speaks volumes. Coach Brey has our program moving solidly in the right direction, on all fronts. For this and more, I couldn't be more excited about the future of Irish basketball.'
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story