Mike Brey ACC Mar 17, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Mike Brey during a press conference before the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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.

“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.

[Matt Fortuna]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.