Men's basketball at the University of Delaware continues to grow at a fever pitch--conference championships, top-flight players, the NCAA Tournament and delirious sellout crowds have all become the norm.

Just completing another brilliant season, the senior-laden Blue Hens posted their third straight 20-win year--unprecedented in UD basketball annals. Finishing with an impressive 24-8 mark, the Hens placed third in the America East regular season standings with a record of 14-4.

Delaware went on to compete in the America East championship game for the third straight season, but fell to No. 1 seed Hofstra 76-69 in a game that went down to the wire. But, all was not lost for the Hens, who earned the school's first ever trip to the prestigious National Invitation Tournament and battled a powerful Villanova team to a 72-63 finish.

Much of Delaware's success is due to the talents of Mike Brey, one of the nation's hottest young coaches and the architect of a program that has won 99 games over the past five seasons.

In this interview, Brey discusses his team's impressive accomplishments and its bright future.

Messenger: Your teams have accomplished so much during your years as head coach. To what do you attribute that remarkable success?

Brey: I think we have done a great job of identifying, in the recruiting process, young men who can come to the University of Delaware and be successful both on and off the court. Secondly, we have had great support from our administration. President Roselle and Edgar Johnson [director of UD's Intercollegiate Athletic Program] are not only great fans of the game, but have been extremely supportive of our program. And, no question, having our community jump on board has been a big lift for us as well.

Messenger: What are the highlights of your five seasons?

 Brey: There certainly are a lot of them. It has been an unbelievable five-year run. Look at the two America East championship games we've had here with the sellout crowds, ESPN TV and people going crazy about the Blue Hens. Being a part of the NCAA Tournament is certainly something special and so was receiving an NIT bid this year as one of the other top 32 teams worthy of post-season competition. Being invited to the NIT was a special thing for us because it was our at-large bid. You don't gain that by winning a game or 20 games. You have to be selected. It says a lot about not only what we did this year but what our basketball team did for the past three years. The fan support at Villanova was unbelievable. To walk out to that game and see 2,000 people gave me chills. It was the same thing at Hofstra [for the America East championship game]. We have one of the best fan bases in the East. It's not even close at other schools, and it certainly means a lot to me and to our players. Overall, it just has been so neat to see the electricity in the Bob Carpenter Center with the sold out crowds, the band, YoUDee, the cheerleaders and the student section [The Cockpit]. This is just a great college basketball atmosphere.

 Messenger: What type of student-athlete do you like to recruit to come to Delaware?

Brey: There is no question that one of the reasons I came here from Duke in 1995 was that I really felt that at Delaware we could recruit the same type of young men that we did there. In that, I mean young men who are as competitive in the classroom as they are on the basketball court. We are proud of our graduation rate here, of our guys who go out into the community and become successful. That has special meaning for us.

Messenger: The 2000 senior class was a special one. Can you talk about what they have meant to the University of Delaware?

 Brey: They have put us on the map. Their record of 69-23 during their four years is unprecedented in Delaware basketball history. And, not only were they good basketball players, but their personalities and communication skills out in the community and on campus have helped sell our program. They are great kids with great personalities, very approachable and very good basketball players. Take a guy like Kestutis Marciulionis. For four years, he was a fan favorite for his fearless style of play. John Gordon gave us an aura and certainly delivered as an ambassador for our program. I don't know much more I can say about Mike Pegues. I think his being selected for the Taylor Award [presented at Commencement to the outstanding male student] says it all. He has carried the flag for this University. I'm very proud of all of them.

 Messenger: After losing six seniors from last year's team, you have a quite a young team coming back for 2000-01.What is the immediate future of Delaware basketball?

 Brey: I can tell you that we won't be picked No. 1 as we've been the last two years. We are probably in the middle of the pack, with a few experienced players mixed in with some new faces. We will need to be patient early and, hopefully, by February and March we can make a run at a championship again. We have five kids coming in who all have a chance of being very good players. When they will become good players, you never really know. Certainly, some of them will need to help us right away. Hofstra and Drexel should be No.1 and No. 2 next year, but it's a toss-up after that. In the end, I think we can compete for the championship and
that will be our goal. We are excited about our schedule as well. We will be playing in the pre-season NIT Tournament and will probably be matched up against Duke or Temple.
We have nonleague games at home against Penn, Delaware State and Rider and we will travel to St. Joseph's and George Mason as well as to a tournament back at the College of Charleston before Christmas.

Messenger: Where do you see Delaware basketball five years from now, 10 years from now?

Brey: I hope we can maintain this level of play. It was tough getting to here, and it will be even tougher keeping it here. One of the things we need to ask ourselves down the road is what league will we be competing in. That is something our administration and I are evaluating on an almost weekly basis. One of the great things about the University of Delaware is that our athletics and academics mix makes us very attractive to other leagues, given our location, academics, facilities, successful programs and great support. You always have to keep in mind that we may not always be in America East.

Messenger: The NCAA Tournament has become one of the most exciting sporting events in the world. What causes March Madness?

 Brey: Everybody talks about the Super Bowl, but nothing can hold a candle to the NCAA Tournament. It's so unpredictable and this past year was so crazy--Wisconsin in the Final Four, low seeds beating high seeds. It's all about 18- to 22-year-old kids and anything can happen. I feel fortunate that I have been a part of it during my career both here at Delaware and as an assistant at Duke. We have been to two of them and certainly we'd like to get back.

For more details, contact Coach Jim Fischer at (302) 831-8846 or (302) 738-9621.