#4 – Mike Brey of Notre Dame
Brey has been the men’s head coach at the University of Notre Dame since 2000, coaching 19 seasons for the Fighting Irish and he’s got them to the NCAA tourney 12 times.
He’s racked up 412 wins at the school, averaging about 22 wins per season. In 19 years, he’s had 2 losing seasons. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, the team had 56 total wins under him and got to back-to-back Elite Eights.
Mike spent 8 seasons with Coach K at Duke so he’s had a good teacher to help him be successful.
The attitude that he instills into the Fighting Irish would be a very welcome addition here. There is no quit, there is no lay down. Players would buy into his system and it’d likely bring out the best in the young core that makes up this Suns team.
Why would he come coach the Phoenix Suns? That’s a good question. Last year, he agreed to an extension with Notre Dame through the 2024-25 season so there’s a very good chance he stays there and declines the job if offered.
However, that doesn’t mean that Phoenix shouldn’t make the offer as he would definitely be a good man for the job.
Per ESPN, the athletic director for the Fighting Irish had the best statement on why he’d be a good fit. The quote pertains to him as the head coach on the university but one could see why he’d be the right fit on the Suns as well.
"“Mike Brey has built one of the most consistently successful programs in the country,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “And the foundation of that success is a winning culture that develops the members of his teams as both basketball players and young men. He is a perfect fit for Notre Dame and we are excited to have him lead our program well into the future.”"