Mike Brey’s 23 best players at Notre Dame
After 23 seasons as Notre Dame’s head coach, Mike Brey hits the stretch run of his career under “Three-Point Jesus.” It will not end with a run into March as we sit in late January with the Irish having one ACC victory. Though not a storybook ending for Brey, it certainly was a storybook career.
It’s easy to get caught up in what’s going on this year and wonder about the big picture of Notre Dame basketball in the weeks and months to come. Those questions will certainly remain for some time, but the struggle of 2022-23 isn’t representative of what Brey helped Notre Dame accomplish.
In honor of Brey’s 23 seasons at Notre Dame, I decided to put together a list of the best 23 players he coached with the Irish. Let me tell you, this was a task I thought was going to be much easier before I started writing it.
As we near the end of Year 23 for Mike Brey at Notre Dame, here are the 23 best players to play for him.
Jordan Cornette, 2001-2005
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Long before he was the face of the ACC Network, Jordan Cornette was busy blocking shots at Notre Dame: 201 of them; one more than LaPhonso Ellis for the most in program history.
Colin Falls, 2003-07
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When Colin Falls graduated from Notre Dame in 2007, nobody had more made 3-pointers in program history.
Tim Abromaitis, 2007-2012
Jan. 9, 2010; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Tory Jackson (3) forward Tim Abromaitis (21) forward Luke Harangody (44) and guard Tyrone Nash (1) celebrate as the Irish defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers, 70-68, at the Purcell Pavilion. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
If this were to rank the best students Brey has had, Tim Abromaitis probably finishes first. He is the only player to ever win the Big East Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award three times. “Abro” wasn’t a bad basketball player either, averaging over 15.5 points per game between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
Rob Kurz, 2004-2008
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It wasn’t the loudest of careers at Notre Dame for forward Rob Kurz, but it was an impactful one. Kurz scored more than 1,000 points and pulled down over 650 rebounds during his time under Mike Brey. He went on to play one year for the Golden State Warriors.
Blake Wesley, 2021-22
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If he had stuck around longer you can’t help wondering how high [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] might have finished on this list. Not that he made the wrong move. He was a lottery pick of the San Antonio Spurs in 2022. Wesley improved significantly in his one year at Notre Dame and was a huge reason for the Irish getting by both Rutgers and Alabama in their most recent tournament appearance.
Kyle McAlarney, 2005-2009
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Kyle McAlarney is remembered for being suspended by the university for a year, and how he bounced back from that was fairy-tale stuff. If you need a 3, he rivals Collin Falls as your guy. Falls had more overall, but nobody made more in a single game than McAlarney, who once hit 10.
Jack Cooley, 2009-2013
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Jack Cooley’s final two years at Notre Dame saw him become a Big East force. Cooley averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over his junior and senior seasons, and he finished ninth in career blocks at Notre Dame despite not getting significant playing time his first two years. Cooley currently plays for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Japan.
Chris Quinn, 2002-2006
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Chris Quinn was a quiet assassin at Notre Dame and a really solid defender, too. While we remember his offense and ability to hit from the outside, Quinn’s ranks sixth all-time in steals for the Fighting Irish.
Could he be his former head coach’s replacement?
Zach Auguste, 2012-2016
AP Photo/Robert Franklin
I suppose we’re about to relive just how good those teams from 2014-2016 were if [autotag]Zach Auguste[/autotag] is the first to get mentioned. Auguste was a rebound machine, notching the third-most rebounds in a single season by any Brey player when he pulled down 386 in 2015-16. He was a force all over the court and went toe-to-toe with Kentucky’s NBA-ready front court in the heartbreaking regional final loss in spring of 2015.
Matt Farrell, 2014-2018
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Matt Farrell was bumped up to a surprise starting role in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. All he did was help the Irish back to their second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Farrell averaged 16.3 points per game as a senior and was voted to the All-ACC third team.
Ryan Humphrey, 2000-2002
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Ryan Humphrey easily goes down as the most athletic big man of the Mike Brey era, that’s for certain. His 87 blocks in 2001-02 remain the most in a single season in Notre Dame history while his 79 the year before are third-best.
Steve Vasturia, 2013-2017
AP Photo/Robert Franklin
Don’t let the looks fool you here. Steve Vasturia, aka “White Steve”, was an assassin and did it all during those deep tournament runs. He was a heck of a defender, could bury the necessary 3 and was reliable. He averaged more than 34 minutes a game from his sophomore season forward.
John Mooney, 2016-2020
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John Mooney.
John Mooney.
No that’s not a misprint.
No that’s not a misprint.
Mooney finished his Notre Dame career with 45 double-doubles, including 25 during the 2019-20 season.
Mooney finished his Notre Dame career with 45 double-doubles, including 25 during the 2019-20 season.
Demetrius Jackson, 2013-2016
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Demetrius Jackson was a beast on both the 2015 and 2016 Elite Eight teams but especially showcased his talents during that ’16 tournament run.
Matt Carroll, 1999-2003
Notre Dame Matt Carroll (13) reacts as he leaves the court following the Irish 93-92 double overtime victory over Georgetown, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003 in South Bend, Indiana. Carroll scored 36 points to lead Notre Dame. He also set the university record for career 3-point baskets. AP Photo/Joe Raymond
Matt Carroll was a consistent contributor during Mike Brey’s first three seasons at Notre Dame. The three-year starter’s 1,850 points remain the eighth-most in program history. Carroll was a key player on the 2003 Sweet 16 team as he helped the Irish reach the NCAA Tournament each of his three years starting. Carroll played in the NBA from 2003-2012.
Tory Jackson, 2006-2010
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He wasn’t an elite scorer, but what Tory Jackson did with the basketball was exactly what you ask of a point guard. Jackson dished 694 assists (second in program history) and recorded 211 steals (second) in his four seasons.
Bonzie Colson, 2014-2018
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Bonzie Colson was a force at Notre Dame and a reason for such high expectations entering the 2017-18 season. He finished his career with 1,632 points and 900 rebounds. Had it not been for a broken foot, he could have had a good amount more of both and perhaps an ACC Player of the Year Award.
Chris Thomas, 2001-2005
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This is where the list gets really tricky, not that it wasn’t already tough enough. I could make a case to put Chris Thomas as high as No. 2. He has more assists and steals than any player in Notre Dame history. Yet he checks in sixth because this is a really loaded top five.
Ben Hansbrough, 2009-2011
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Ben Hansbrough transferred into Notre Dame so his time under Brey was somewhat short but his impact was tremendous. Hansborough was voted the Big East’s player of the year for his efforts in 2010-11, averaging 18.4 points per game while leading the Irish to a 27-7 mark.
Luke Harangody, 2006-2010
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Ever put on a pair of old jeans and happen to find a $20 bill in it? That’s how Mike Brey had to have felt about Luke Harangody. But instead of it being a $20 bill, this one had a lot more zeros in it. Harangody was a force in the Big East and simply found ways to score and rebound, doing so to the tune of the second most in each category in Notre Dame history.
Pat Connaughton, 2011-2015
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Pat Connaughton did everything at Notre Dame. He defended like crazy. He distributed. He blocked shots (none bigger than in the NCAA Tournament vs. Butler). He even pitched well enough to be drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. “Planet Pat” made 120 straight starts during Brey’s best stretch at Notre Dame. That’s not a coincidence for the current Milwaukee Bucks guard.
Jerian Grant, 2011-2015
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After being ruled academically ineligible just before Christmas in 2013, Jerian Grant was forced to miss the remainder of that season. He returned to Notre Dame for 2014-15, and, on team that was loaded with talent, he was its best player. Grant averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game that year and was voted a first-team All-American.
Troy Murphy, 1998-2001
Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy shoots over Xavier’s Reggie Butler (55) during the first half Friday, March 16, 2001 in Kansas City, Missouri. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
I feel partly like I’m cheating by putting Troy Murphy at the top of this list because he played only one season under Mike Brey. Heck, Murphy played for three different coaches in his three years at Notre Dame. Murphy was the best player on Brey’s first team, a Notre Dame one that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 seasons. Sure only one of them came under Brey, but Murphy left college after winning Big East Player of the Year honors a second straight season.
