It's difficult to take a team from pre-season top 10 to not even on the bubble. Some even said it couldn't be done. But my hat is off to Mike Brey. The guy pulled it off.
For any coach wanting to lose their job, follow the Coa - (sorry I almost called Brey a coach), follow the Mike Brey recipe for success. It begins with little to no defense and absolutely no blocking out. We actually defended for an entire game once this year. The result, a 33 point home victory over the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Most teams send three or four to the offensive glass with one or two checkbacks. Brey seems to teach zero or one to the glass with four or five checkbacks.
The root of all problems this year is minimal effort that comes from not being held accountable. Our top four players will get their 35-plus minutes each game regardless of how hard they play. When we lose games we should clearly have won he never points out things we did poorly or mistakes that need correction. He instead praises the opposing team. "I love how we gave ourselves a chance." "Boy they really got out and defended us." Those ring a bell?
I do not understand how you cannot get your team ready to play when it is essential. In New York our NCAA Tournament life was on the line and we laid an egg against West Virginia. After this game Brey said, "I really thought we were a 9-and-9 team in the regular season before the season started." What can I say? You set the bar that high you're really setting yourself up for success. I won't deny that the Big East was a much better league this year and that we consistently face more athletic teams. However, teams like Notre Dame beat teams like Connecticut by playing fundamental basketball and outworking their opponent on both ends. We do the opposite.
Just remember defense may win championships, but three point shooting wins Big East home games (most of the time).
Kevin Sonn
senior
St. Edward's Hall
April 1
