GB54;842300665 said:

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Montgomery was a retread

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Only from an NBA perspective. He was not the first great college coach to fail in the NBA. Stanford (for one) would have taken him back in a heartbeat.

If Brey is the best Sandy can do than Ann Killians column today is really spot on

grandmastapoop;842300640 said:

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This thread is pretty funny.

Mike Brey would be a pretty solid hire. Not inspiring, but he's had a good run at a strong football school with similar academic constraints that he'd face at Cal. He took over a pretty bad program and has won 20, 22, 24, 19, 17, 16, 24, 25, 21, 23, 27, 22, and 25 games, with no losing seasons, before he went 15-17 this year (6-12 in ND's first year in the ACC). He also made the tourney 9 of 13 years, winning 6 games (with one Sweet 16 appearance).

Again, not the most exciting hire, but he's a very good coach who has had a lot of success. And, again, we are not getting a guy like Shaka Smart.

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He's certainly better than Howland despite not having as much success in the tournament. But he's under contract at ND until 2022 and I'm not sure why he would see Cal as a better job. I'm guessing he would only take another job if it helped him down the line in the competition to replace coach K.

socaltownie;842300662 said:

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Please for the love of god no.

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"Oh really good you two" (like he doesn't even know their names?).

We could save money and just have fans take turns "coaching" the team each week "Good stuff, baby." "I really liked how you ran the floor there." "Good communicating."

SFBearz;842300675 said:

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He's certainly better than Howland despite not having as much success in the tournament. But he's under contract at ND until 2022 and I'm not sure why he would see Cal as a better job. I'm guessing he would only take another job if it helped him down the line in the competition to replace coach K.

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I like him better than Howland, I will give him that. However, the fact he is under contract until 2022 is crazy, we would be throwing big money to get him. Might as well throw that money at Smart.

My guess is Sandy is just reaching out for advice.

JerseyGoldenBear;842300600 said:

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From Twitter: RT @tnoieNDInsider: Source: Among head coaches that #Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour wants to speak with is #NotreDame coach Mike Brey

I certainly hope this doesn't go far. ND had a losing record in their first year in the ACC (although some decent wins against Duke and Clemson). I suppose this also means that the dream candidates aren't jumping to come to Cal.

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Sandy does have ND contacts. And, despite those here who believe otherwise, she has many contacts nationally. I wouldn't read too much into this one, but you never know. It could be a fact finding interview. I don't know enough about Brey to comment on him otherwise.

tsubamoto2001;842300617 said:

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Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Mike Brey is mediocrity defined. Solid coach, but nothing more. If we want to be average and continue to be irrelevant, then he's the way to go.

Sandy is showing she's a putz.

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What the hell?

Brey is an excellent coach. He supposedly turned down the Maryland job a few years back.

The tournament is a complete crapshoot and Brey typically doesn't get 5* players. Unlike with football, Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards for basketball.

Brey would be a homerun hire for you guys.

The only reason I could see Brey leaving Notre Dame is if he's concerned about his job security, coming off of a mediocre season.

BowDowntoWashington;842300688 said:

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What the hell?

Brey is an excellent coach. He supposedly turned down the Maryland job a few years back.

The tournament is a complete crapshoot and Brey typically doesn't get 5* players. Unlike with football, Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards for basketball.

Brey would be a homerun hire for you guys.

The only reason I could see Brey leaving Notre Dame is if he's concerned about his job security, coming off of a mediocre season.

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Oh Please, huskie.

Brey is far from excellent. You naint a Cal fan, so of course you're gonna say Brey is a HR hire for Cal. Maryland was not interested in Brey--he never turned them down.

tsubamoto2001;842300690 said:

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Oh Please, huskie.

Brey is far from excellent. You naint a Cal fan, so of course you're gonna say Brey is a HR hire for Cal. Maryland was not interested in Brey--he never turned them down.

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Many felt that Oregon hiring Altman was a mistake and he's turned out ok.

Hiring Brey would be an excellent move (I would take him over Romar in a heartbeat). Hiring Steve Lavin would be a huge mistake.

GB54;842300665 said:

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Montgomery was a retread

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Yeah but that hire killed the Furdies and their collective panties are still in bunch over it. Monty was Furd hoops. He also won at a .640 or so clip at Cal and got the Bears in the tourney 4 times in 6 seasons and it's first conference title in 50 years. Also he's a HOF coach who obviously knows the Pac. Many said it was an easy hire...but it totally hurt Furd.

BowDowntoWashington;842300688 said:

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What the hell?

Brey is an excellent coach. He supposedly turned down the Maryland job a few years back.

The tournament is a complete crapshoot and Brey typically doesn't get 5* players. Unlike with football, Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards for basketball.

Brey would be a homerun hire for you guys.

The only reason I could see Brey leaving Notre Dame is if he's concerned about his job security, coming off of a mediocre season.

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Did you watch this clip of Brey "coaching" a Notre Dame practice that I posted?: LINK

BowDowntoWashington;842300688 said:

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What the hell?

Brey is an excellent coach. He supposedly turned down the Maryland job a few years back.

The tournament is a complete crapshoot and Brey typically doesn't get 5* players. Unlike with football, Notre Dame has pretty high academic standards for basketball.

Brey would be a homerun hire for you guys.

The only reason I could see Brey leaving Notre Dame is if he's concerned about his job security, coming off of a mediocre season.

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I actually agree that Brey would be an excellent hire for us. The tourney is all about matchups...with the right draw, just about any team can make a run. The fact that Brey has made the tournament on a consistent basis is a nice sign.

calumnus;842300708 said:

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Did you watch this clip of Brey "coaching" a Notre Dame practice that I posted?: LINK

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Yes, a three minute fluff piece clip of him having fun with his players is definitely indicative of his coaching prowess.

FrankCohen;842300710 said:

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Yes, a three minute fluff piece clip of him having fun with his players is definitely indicative of his coaching prowess.

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What you call a "fluff piece" is clips of him during a practice. What you call "having fun with his players" is his coaching of players during practice. Really.

For another example, listen to some of his post game comments: LINK

"Their guards guard our guards really well"?

Can you really go from Monty's basketball mind to that?

Seriously, I've never heard him say anything intelligent. Those are just the first two links I clicked on. If you can find a clip of him anywhere on the Internet saying something insightful please link them here because I would like to be reassured.

Go Coach DeCuire.

calumnus;842300678 said:

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I like him better than Howland, I will give him that. However, the fact he is under contract until 2022 is crazy, we would be throwing big money to get him. Might as well throw that money at Smart.

My guess is Sandy is just reaching out for advice.

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smart had rejected every offer that's come to him. Why would he come to Cal?

MiZery;842300727 said:

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smart had rejected every offer that's come to him. Why would he come to Cal?

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He probably wouldn't, but it's worth finding out.

Probably the wrong string, but how can John Crumpacker just have nothing on this? There is a published story in a newspaper, it is all over twitter, yet he has not posted a story or tweeted since 3/31. It is a shame that he seems to have no interest in actually being a reporter beyond game stories.

Even if he has no insiders, what about Bruce Jenkins, Steve Kroner, or Vic Tafur? They all went here. It seems like most of the Sporting Green are Cal grads, yet no inside reporting.

MiZery;842300727 said:

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smart had rejected every offer that's come to him. Why would he come to Cal?

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My guess is he won't.

But [U]if[/U] he would, it would probably be because he and his wife (who both have master's degrees) like the Bay Area, like the intellectual atmosphere of our campus versus VCU and would rather raise their family here than in Richmond, Virginia (which, despite changes, will always be the former capital of the Confederacy).

Peterson eventually took a major conference job: Washington. Should Washington have not asked just because he turned down every other that came to him?

We have to ask. There is always a chance.

tsubamoto2001;842300617 said:

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Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Mike Brey is mediocrity defined. Solid coach, but nothing more. If we want to be average and continue to be irrelevant, then he's the way to go.

Sandy is showing she's a putz.

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Uhh didnt Mike Brey beat Monty's Cal team a few years ago in Orlando 56-44? I seem to remember they were up 21-5 at Half. I know.. I was at that game.

It appears that Brey has gotten further in the tournament then Monty has at Cal.

Also, a rumor on twitter causes you to personally bash Sandy? Nevermind the fact that she HIRED Monty and Gottlieb. I swear, our fan base is turning into Toejams.

JerseyGoldenBear;842300600 said:

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From Twitter: RT @tnoieNDInsider: Source: Among head coaches that #Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour wants to speak with is #NotreDame coach Mike Brey

I certainly hope this doesn't go far. ND had a losing record in their first year in the ACC (although some decent wins against Duke and Clemson). I suppose this also means that the dream candidates aren't jumping to come to Cal.

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Hopefully it's just for advice and that the advice is not taken too seriously. He's done nothing.

1947;842300651 said:

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"If we can't land a homerun candidate that will generate excitement, I'd much rather Cal roll the dice with TD or Gates, little money at risk with bigger upside potential."


I don't think we win with TD or Gates either.

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Better shot with those guys than with Brey and while risking less money. He's just not that good.

bar20;842300611 said:

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Yes young and hungry like USC's hire of Enfield last year. How's that working out for them? With his record from last season he might be available to CAL!

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How's that working out? Who the hell knows yet. He came in with crap on the roster and by the way managed to beat us once and damn near beat us a second time. Maybe you should wait until he has a chance to recruit, oh, perhaps a class or two of his own before trashing the hire.

Asinine.

Dinky Do;842300729 said:

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Probably the wrong string, but how can John Crumpacker just have nothing on this? There is a published story in a newspaper, it is all over twitter, yet he has not posted a story or tweeted since 3/31. It is a shame that he seems to have no interest in actually being a reporter beyond game stories.

Even if he has no insiders, what about Bruce Jenkins, Steve Kroner, or Vic Tafur? They all went here. It seems like most of the Sporting Green are Cal grads, yet no inside reporting.

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There is no sports reporting of any worth in the Bay Area. Crumpacker just goes to open practice once in a while and takes what he's given. Bruce Jenkins is a hell of a baseball guy and has connections there, but he's not going to be on this. Kroner, c'mon. National guys will get there first.

socaliganbear;842300637 said:

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That the search firm flew up to meet with him.

Realistically I don't think this is a bad hire, it's just more of the same.

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Well, that's good news if they're shooting for Few even if they don't land him. Brey is not worth paying the money for.

Cal hired a basketball coach from Notre Dame once upon a time. Dick Kuchen, anyone?

Mike Brey? No thanks. Next candidate?

pdxoski;842300753 said:

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Cal hired a basketball coach from Notre Dame once upon a time. Dick Kuchen, anyone?

Mike Brey? No thanks. Next candidate?

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You do know that he was national coach of the year in 2011 and Big East Coach of the Year three times, right? Career record of 300-159 doesn't quite cut it for ya, huh?

TheSouseFamily;842300759 said:

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You do know that he was national coach of the year in 2011 and Big East Coach of the Year three times, right? Career record of 300-159 doesn't quite cut it for ya, huh?

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I don't know why I feel underwhelmed about Mike Brey, Souse. It's just a gut feeling. Perhaps it's wrong for me to associate Mike Brey with the Kuchen era, which I endured during my years at Cal.

We'll just have to wait and see who Sandy chooses before the floodgates of vitriol are opened.

Mike Brey = Ben Braun

Been there, done that.

socaltownie;842300774 said:

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Mike Brey = Ben Braun

Been there, done that.

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I think he's better than Braun. His program hasn't imploded yet, which I guess impresses some people. He's just good enough to not get fired. But that's exactly why I don't want him--he has no upside. It's basically going to be more of what an end-of-career Monty brought, except Brey has no West Coast connections, and isn't known as a particularly good tactician, nor does he typically employ an exciting style of play. He's proven to be a solid coach, and that's nice and dandy, especially at ND, where most don't care about basketball.

grandmastapoop;842300640 said:

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This thread is pretty funny.

Mike Brey would be a pretty solid hire. Not inspiring, but he's had a good run at a strong football school with similar academic constraints that he'd face at Cal. He took over a pretty bad program and has won 20, 22, 24, 19, 17, 16, 24, 25, 21, 23, 27, 22, and 25 games, with no losing seasons, before he went 15-17 this year (6-12 in ND's first year in the ACC). He also made the tourney 9 of 13 years, winning 6 games (with one Sweet 16 appearance).

Again, not the most exciting hire, but he's a very good coach who has had a lot of success. And, again, we are not getting a guy like Shaka Smart.

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I'm mixed about his record. A lot of his 20+ wins came on weak SOS, mostly the OOC games. Now, he has taken down quite a number of ranked opponents at ND, which is impressive. But his NCAA Tourney 6-9 record seems like ND got a lot more credit than they deserved, routinely losing to lower seeded opponents, save the Sweet 16 run. All of those things point to the regular success being a bit overrated. This is again confirmed with a pretty crappy record in a better ACC conference - a conference more akin to the PAC12. And, he returned the same team for the most part, save Cooley who was 13pts/10reb avg. Leading scorers all stayed and he had a pretty experienced starting squad and they had a losing record. I don't think that should be ignored.

Addendum: ND was ranked #21 (AP)/#22 (Coaches) for the preseason this year and ended up 15-17. Again, not convinced this is a coach that is as good as previous records show.

atoms;842300643 said:

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"Could do worse" shouldn't be the relevant criterion. We want excellence.

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How much are you contributing to the new coach hire? 1 million? 2? "Moral support"?

Who is this "we" you speak of?

The problem is that ND probably gets a 10 to 30% bump from its position as the premier Catholic institution of Higher Learning. I glanced through his recruiting record. A good sprikling of kids from Jesuit prep schools. Are THEY coming to Cal? Probably not. So then the question is whether he is some fantastic X and O guy.

JerseyGoldenBear;842300794 said:

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I'm mixed about his record. A lot of his 20+ wins came on weak SOS, mostly the OOC games. Now, he has taken down quite a number of ranked opponents at ND, which is impressive. But his NCAA Tourney 6-9 record seems like ND got a lot more credit than they deserved, routinely losing to lower seeded opponents, save the Sweet 16 run. All of those things point to the regular success being a bit overrated. This is again confirmed with a pretty crappy record in a better ACC conference - a conference more akin to the PAC12. And, he returned the same team for the most part, save Cooley who was 13pts/10reb avg. Leading scorers all stayed and he had a pretty experienced starting squad and they had a losing record. I don't think that should be ignored.

Addendum: ND was ranked #21 (AP)/#22 (Coaches) for the preseason this year and ended up 15-17. Again, not convinced this is a coach that is as good as previous records show.

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The team imploded in December when their leading scorer, Jerian Grant (19ppg) was suspended for academics. That surely didn't help the cause this year.

socaltownie;842300807 said:

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The problem is that ND probably gets a 10 to 30% bump from its position as the premier Catholic institution of Higher Learning. I glanced through his recruiting record. A good sprikling of kids from Jesuit prep schools. Are THEY coming to Cal? Probably not. So then the question is whether he is some fantastic X and O guy.

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Exactly, his recruiting would not translate. I have never heard him sound intelligent when discussing basketball and his teams never strike me as being particularly well coached. I like him better than Howland because he is a good guy. But hey, Braun is also a good guy and is available for a lot less money. There are lots of good guys in the stands we could hire.

As for Brey's awards consider also that Braun was the 3 time MAC Coach of the Year and was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Braun has lead teams to the Sweet-16 TWICE versus Brey only doing it ONCE. Again, Braun is available for a lot less money.

So in my ranking, Brey is somewhere below Braun, i.e. VERY low on the list. Below DeCuire and Gates.