 | |
| Vol. 17, No. 23 | March 13, 1998 |
| |
| Vol. 17, No. 23 | March 13, 1998 |
It's very exciting," Mike Brey said on the morning after his team found out it would be playing Purdue University in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The men's head basketball coach said, "We met in the locker room after the announcement and I congratulated the team, stressing that we are one of only 64 in the country that has been selected.
"I told them that there are nine other teams in our league that are very envious right now, and not many players get this opportunity and experience."
Brey describes Purdue as a traditional basketball power, well-coached and very experienced. But, he added, "When we've played up-by that I mean teams in larger, elite programs like Duke, Indiana, Virginia, Clemson and Villanova-we've made it very interesting. In fact, last year, we beat the University of Florida in the San Juan Shoot-Out. So, our kids make a very good showing in those situations."
Brey has guided his student-athletes well enough to earn a spot in the Big Dance, as the tournament is often called.
Brey, in his third year as head coach, cited a number of reasons the team has earned a spot in the tournament. At the top of his list is the leadership of UD's lone senior on the team Keith Davis.
"Keith was magnificent," Brey said. "He sacrificed his personal goals for the good of the team. Throughout the season, he was a team leader, and that was the key. One of my greatest satisfactions is how our kids help each other. No one was worried about their stuff. They were more concerned with our stuff. Even when we were leading in a game, the team effort continued to be their first priority."
At the start of the season, experts had predicted the Blue Hens would place fifth in the America East conference.
"We certainly exceeded expectations," Brey said. "I'm very pleased with the health of our program. We were not building a team, but building a program. I believe we have the attention of the student body and the community. We have the fire sparked right now, and we have to keep throwing gas on it.
I also believe that what we did at the end of the regular season and in the tournament will carry over into next season."
Brey is quick to give credit to his staff and students, but there also is a debt to his high school coach, Morgan Wootten, from whom he learned much, including the basics of good coaching.
"He said something one time that has stayed with me," Brey recalled. "That is, 'Always be the kind of coach you would want your own son or daughter to play for.' I try to follow that philosophy. I have a young son and a daughter, and I want them to have fun when they begin to play sports.
"With our team, we maintain the highest standards, but this entire experience also should be fun. Of course, there's a business side to it. But, when the team comes over at 3 p.m. to practice, I don't want them to think, 'Oh, no! I've got to deal with this guy for the next two or three hours.' We work hard, but I try to make it a positive atmosphere to work in."
Junior Blue Hen guard and tri-captain Tyrone Perry celebrates victory in the Bob Carpenter Center on March 7.
-Ed Okonowicz
Photos by Jack Buxbaum and Robert Cohen
