Notre Dame’s Mike Brey not retiring despite stepping down as Fighting Irish head coach at end of season

While Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey will step away from the program at the end of the season, his coaching career is not coming to a close. 

Brey told Stadium on Monday that the college basketball world has not seen the last of him on the sideline. 

“Definitely not done coaching,” Brey told Stadium. 

NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH MIKE BREY TO STEP AWAY AT SEASON’S END

Notre Dame and Brey announced in January that the coach of 23 years in South Bend, Indiana, would be leaving the program after the season. 

“It has been a great run for me and our program over the past two decades, but it is time for a new voice to lead this group into the future,” Brey said in a release. “I want to thank our student-athletes, assistant coaches and support staff who have played such a key role in the culture we have created.”

Brey, the all-time winningest coach in the history of the program, has a record of 482-274, taking the Irish to the NCAA Tournament 13 times and reached the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016.

“Mike (Brey) and I have talked often in recent years about a future transition in the program’s leadership and during our most recent conversation we reached the mutual conclusion that the end of this season represented the right time,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick in January. 

“That Mike (Brey) is the winningest coach in the 119-year history of Notre Dame men’s basketball speaks to his skill as a teacher of the game. His even greater legacy, however, lies in his achievements as an educator and mentor of the young men who played for him. In that sense, he represents this University as well as any coach I have worked with during my time at Notre Dame. And for that reason, I look forward to working with Mike to define his future role within Notre Dame Athletics.”

Notre Dame basketball has struggled during the 2022 season, sitting at 10-15 on the year. 

The Fighting Irish made the tournament in 2022 for the first time since the 2016-17 season, losing to the three-seed Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second round.