The ever-changing landscape of college basketball had led to massive changes for student-athletes, who have newfound flexibility and ownership over their careers thanks to NIL and the transfer portal.
Naturally, many college basketball coaches hate it.
Don’t count Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey among them, however. While many of his counterparts are complaining about how the situation isn’t sustainable and how things are out of control and players aren’t learning responsibility, Brey sees reality for what it is and is adapting accordingly.
More Brey, funny as ever: “One of my assistants came in and said, ‘Hey, Coach, I want you to know, I get up every morning, I read the Bible and then I check the portal.’ I said: Switch the order, my man.”
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) May 10, 2022
Mike Brey continues to be the best. Spent about 30 minutes with reporter-folk here today, opining on a range of topics surrounding college basketball. His message to those coaches who might be inclined to complain about NIL: “Shut up and adjust.” Full quote: pic.twitter.com/r58xavAsPN
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) May 10, 2022
“I told a lot of young coaches when we were on the road in April: We gotta stop complaining,” said Brey on Tuesday. “This is the world we’re in. Last time I checked, we make pretty good money. So everybody should shut up and adjust.
“You know, that’s just the world we’re in now. And, you know, I’m not in it as long as the Josh Pastners and some of these young guys. So good luck to y’all – I’ll be back in five years to see what’s up. Just remember, man, we’ve had it pretty good here. And it’s a great job. It’s high-risk, high-reward, but we all know what we signed up for.”
Driving home just how important the new order of things is for college basketball coaches, Brey shared an anecdote about a suggestion he made to one of his assistants regarding the transfer portal.
“One of my assistants came in and said, ‘Hey, Coach, I want you to know, I get up every morning, I read the Bible and then I check the portal.’ I said: Switch the order, my man,” said Brey.
Brey certainly garnered a lot of reactions on Tuesday with his tell-it-like-it-is comments about the state of college basketball.
Few coaches at the collegiate level are as comfortable in their own skin — both in how they coach and how they handle the media — as Brey. Good on him for saying this. While there are significant issues that need addressing, hearing this from a high-profile coach is refreshing. https://t.co/qweTFrZpXE
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 10, 2022
ACC Legend. https://t.co/bJOLVjaUYb
— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) May 10, 2022
Mike Brey, life coach. #NIL https://t.co/cvzUfqpwSs
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) May 10, 2022
Basketball coaches seem to often have a better perspective on their jobs than most people in college sports. https://t.co/24Qm5FKaOe
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) May 10, 2022
Extremely relatable content right here https://t.co/q6sFFxqT5c
— Max Olson (@max_olson) May 10, 2022