When it comes to being just a plain simple good guy and honorable man, look no further than he and his wife hosting the roster at their home on nights when, because of their schedule, they are on campus when their fellow students have left for break or when it is a holiday (New Year's Day, etc.) when a youngster could get caught doing somewthing he would later wish he hadn't.

As far as helping his charges reach maturity, all one has to do, as recent examples, is look to Kyle McAlarney or Carlton Scott. Both these two fellows were on the precipice of taking the wrong turn after having acted out, not atypically, like a teenager. Coach Brey literally steered them both back on track. Most of us would be proud to have saved one person in our lives. The Coach has more than doubled that.

Additionally, I suggest that it has been a rare, rare occasion when one of his charges had academic trouble. This is truly an accomplishment. Our hard court team has a rigorous away schedule during the second semester, and, yet, when is the last time one can remeber a kid having an issue with his grades. That is not a magic coincidence. That is Coach Brey.

As far as his coaching acumen, although there are many, many similar examples from the past decade, let us not forget what he has recently done with three recruits that were hardly top 100 blue chippers out of high school. He has taken a big 6' 8" lug from Merrillville, IN and helped him become one of the best college basketball players in the country. He took a 5'11" (?) kid from Detroit and helped him become a true floor general and team leader in both energy and basketball IQ. He has helped a skinny 6'8" kid from Connecticut find his game and become the most improved player in the nation. Furthermore, within the last two weeks, following an unfortunate injury to 'Gody, he has remolded a team given up for lost into one helluva an impressive unit. Lastly, forget not that within the last handful of seasons he was twice selected by his peers as Big East "Coach of the Year."

Coach Brey, like all of us is, however, certainly not perfect. I think there are two constructive criticisms. The first is that, of late, his recruiting ability does seem to be waning, but I contend that this has not become the rule and that one or two talented bodies will quickly solve this issue.

I believe the most legitimate "complaint" about Mike Brey is that when he is coaching a star, (i.e. Chris Thomas, Kyle McAlarney, Luke Harangody, etc.) he tends to rely too much, particularly offensively, on that player. As he has shown of late, he obviously has a wonderful ability to teach true team basketball, and when he has a top athlete he should better integrate him into a team scheme and not vice versa.

Nevertheless, to reiterate my comments above, I am enormously proud that Mike Brey is associated with my alma mater, and I sincerely hope he continues to be so for his entire career.

Nobody is expecting the kind of run of sustained NCAA tournament success that a school like Duke or North Carolina routinely puts together. But I would like to see us get back to where we were in the 1970's, i.e., annual NCAA tournament appearance all but a foregone conclusion; contender for the Sweet 16 every year; contender for the Final Four once-twice per decade. Tennessee and Texas are illustrative programs in that regard: both "football schools," and both with less overall basketball tradition than ND, yet they've managed to pass ND in basketball stature in recent years. This should be a cause of embarrassment for the administration.

I'm sure playing for Harter was not much fun. My point, and I probably could have pick a better candidate, is that ND's defense is so soft that I believe a tougher, more old school coach, would be beneficial. You must watch these games and think the same thing I do after some plays – "My old coach would have physically yanked me off the floor if I played D like that."

Maybe Harter has mellowed in his old age. I have spoken with him just a few times in the last 25 years, but I can't believe he would help ND.

Yes, ND basketball battles problems that are not of Brey's making. And in fact, there's still a residual hangover from continuing our independent status too long. But this program should — indeed, must — be better than it is now.

I've said it before and I'll say it again here: being a child of the 70's, I grew up thinking that ND never lost in football, and rarely lost in mens' basketball. Can the basketball program get back to its level from the 70's? I'm not sure if it can on a consistent basis. And in any event, I certainly don't expect that to happen right away. But it certainly can be better than it is now, even right away.

Like the football coach when I was a student, Gerry Faust, Brey is an admirable person. But as a coach, he's something less than that. Time to bring in some new blood.

If you want to shake up the snow globes, that's the best way to go.