Mike Brey was preparing to join Big Ten in 2003
But Notre Dame basketball coach says Irish decided against move at last minute
January 08, 2010|By Teddy Greenstein
Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey said Thursday that during his fourth season in South Bend, the Irish were on the cusp on joining the Big Ten.
Brey recalled athletic director Kevin White telling him in November 2003 to get ready for the move.
"He told me to be prepared; we were going to the Big Ten," Brey said during a conference call. "Obviously, that decision changed in the 11th hour.
"There was anxiety: Gosh, what does that mean for our Eastern connections? We've recruited pretty well in that corridor from (Washington) D.C. to Boston. Will we have any kind of clout there if we're playing in the Big Ten?
"And style: Is that league a little more half-court (based), a little more possession by possession? So it was probably half and half -- excitement about the challenge and anxiety on the other side."
Brey has no more anxiety on the topic: "We are in the Big East and we're going to be in the Big East for a while, and obviously independent football is a very, very important part of the fabric of this place."