Reports surfaced Thursday afternoon that long-time Notre Dame head basketball coach Mike Brey would be retiring at season’s end. It is truly an understatement to call this a momentous day for a program that has been helmed by the same man for 23 seasons…23!!!

My reaction to the news was and still is fairly somber. It was certainly time (perhaps too late), but I really, really wish it could have ended better. I have so many fond memories from Brey’s tenure. He really turned this into a fun, weird program that won an awful lot of games. 2015 was pure magic. It’s sad to me that Brey had to go out this way, especially for someone who is so grounded and easy to like.

I could go on for hours, but the point of this post is to bring you the names surfacing as possible replacements for Mike Brey. I’ve included some thoughts on those options and a couple others that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Mike Brey Connections

Overall, I’m not in favor of going this route. It’s time for some new ideas and perhaps even some larger philosophical shifts as to what this program is really all about and where it should position itself in the current college basketball landscape. But still, these names make sense to varying degrees and are worth noting.

Martin Ingelsby – Brey’s former assistant and point guard has done a solid job as Delaware’s head coach, culminating in a CAA tournament victory and NCAA tournament berth last season. He also, for my money, was Brey’s best recruiter and has done a nice job on that front bringing some impressive talent to Delaware. That said, Ingelsby has failed to bring the Blue Hens to the upper echelon of the CAA, consistently behind Hofstra, Charleston, and Towson, and has gotten off to a tough start again this season. If he wasn’t a Notre Dame guy, I doubt he’d be a serious candidate.

Chris Quinn – A likely future NBA head coach who is still in his 30s, I’m not sure he has any desire to return to his alma mater. In general, I’m worried about someone who lacks college-level experience. The recruiting landscape and now NIL are such singular challenges and instrumental to any coach’s success. Taking someone without any familiarity with this part of the job is a major concern. Still, his experience as Erik Spoelstra’s trusted deputy is a significant feather in his cap and clear indication of his coaching acumen.

Anthony Solomon – I am more in favor of this than most. Solomon’s head coaching stint at St. Bonaventure’s was an eternity ago and under considerable NCAA sanctions. His experience at Notre Dame, as well as vital stops at Georgetown and especially Dayton, is far more pertinent in my mind. He is an outstanding recruiter who really relates well to people while also earning praise for his ability to hold guys accountable. But…this year happened, and it happened under his watch too in addition to Mike Brey. It’s hard not to think it’s time for a clean break despite his other merits.

Power Conference Coaches

Fran McCaffery – A long-time Notre Dame assistant, McCaffery had an impressive turn at Siena before heading to Iowa and building a consistent program with a prolific offense. I’ve always appreciated his ability to collect misfit toys and turn it into something competitive. Still, his postseason record is laughable, a criticism that dogged Brey for years until (and for some even after) the 2015 and 2016 tournament runs. More importantly, to me at least, McCaffery’s general demeanor is a complete disgrace and would make him unfit to follow an affable figure like Mike Brey. Not even remotely worth the baggage.

Porter Moser – A message board favorite, but I’m not so sure. He hasn’t exactly hit the ground running at Oklahoma, admittedly a strange fit in a preposterously difficult conference. He did nothing of note at Illinois State and, for a long time, Loyola until he turned them into an absolute four-year juggernaut seemingly out of nowhere. Was that a flash in the pan of an otherwise unimpressive career. Or is there something there ready to be unleashed at the high major level? Worth noting he’s a nice fit as a Midwestern, Catholic guy.

Micah Shrewsberry – The current Penn State head coach has extensive Indiana connections, including most notably as Brad Stevens’s assistant at Butler during their back-to-back national title runs. He would later rejoin Stevens with the Boston Celtics after a brief tenure at Purdue (where he returned for a couple years after leaving Boston). Shrewsberry also was head coach at nearby IUSB before heading to Butler, so he’s familiar with the area. Widely respected as an up-and-coming coach, he has had a so-so year-and-a-half at Penn State thus far, which merits some caution.

Mid-Major Options

Darian DeVries – A long-time Creighton assistant for both Dana Altman and Greg McDermott, DeVries has been a tremendous success at Drake, already winning MVC Coach of the Year twice in four years. This is particularly impressive at Drake, an already struggling program which was in major flux after Niko Medved left them in the dust for Colorado State after just one season. I bet most would be unimpressed if he becomes the guy, but he’s going to be a power conference coach very soon.

Pat Kelsey – The on-court results at Winthrop and now College of Charleston, which may be the best non-WCC mid-major in the country this season, are undeniably impressive. That said, the move to Charleston was weird for a seemingly up-and-coming coach. He may have some stigma attached to him after spurning UMass literally minutes before he was to be announced as their head coach in 2017. Something seems a little off here, but he’s definitely got the resume for a big leap.

Wild Cards

Sean Sweeney – A guy who some see as a, if not the, favorite for the job. Sweeney is a fast-rising NBA assistant for the Dallas Mavericks who also happens to love Notre Dame. Seriously, his family has a house in South Bend, and he’s apparently friends with football head coach Marcus Freeman. Sometimes the stars are aligned for a reason. Still, the lack of college and/or head coaching experience is a major concern. Also, maybe it’s just me, but most of his coaching career has come under Jason Kidd, which doesn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies for multiple reasons. Possibly the most fascinating name on the list.

Monty Williams – Another who I doubt is interested, even though he might be out of a job soon. I can’t quite explain it, but I actually think he would struggle at the college level. He has a very relational style that is of course universally respected. But would that work in modern recruiting? Might he get incredibly frustrated with that whole world? Would the roster churn of today’s game neutralize his greatest strengths as a teacher and motivator? I don’t know, but I keep coming back to college being such a different job than the NBA. Would be an incredibly easy guy to root for, though, and certainly offer the program some much-needed juice.

Off-the-Radar

Mitch Henderson – One that probably hasn’t done quite enough to earn this level of promotion, but Henderson strikes me as a very smart guy and has spent most of his career at Northwestern and now as the head coach at Princeton. His Tigers very nearly knocked off the Irish in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Princeton has consistently stayed at or near the top of the Ivy League during his long tenure there. Though he’s a Princeton legend and may very well be a lifer, Henderson also has local roots, having grown up in Indiana and attended nearby Culver Academies for high school.

Kyle Smith – I’ve long had my eye on Smith, once a Randy Bennett assistant at Saint Mary’s throughout the 2000s. He has since done a great job elevating programs as diverse as Columbia, San Francisco, and Washington State. Columbia was an absolute bottom-feeder in the Ivy League before he arrived. He made them respectable enough to finish 3rd twice. Same thing with Washington State, one of the worst power conference teams in the 2010s. The Cougars are now at least consistently a top-80 KenPom team, and last year he took them to the NIT for the first time in over a decade. He lacks a hallmark accomplishment at any of those stops but his defensive chops and so-called “Nerdball” analytics-heavy philosophy would be fascinating in South Bend.

Final Verdict

I can kinda talk myself into and out of most of these guys (except McCaffery). Obviously, we will learn a lot more as time goes on and some of these coaches start interviewing. It will be fascinating to watch a couple of them a little more closely this season knowing they might be our future coach.

Despite my concerns noted above, Quinn or Sweeney would be absolutely fascinating. I could easily see either or both interviewing well and laying out a compelling coaching philosophy and vision for recruiting.

I’m just learning about him, but DeVries has an almost ideal pedigree and has been super impressive at Drake. I’m also certain that my Kyle Smith fascination is completely off-base and not an option. But I’d be excited by the possibility.

But I’m going to go with Micah Shrewsberry as the guy I think we’ll ultimately land. He is a great fit and likely knows Penn State is an impossible job. He needs to leave sooner rather than later. Shrewsberry also has a great reputation as a recruiter and has elevated the talent level at Penn State both from high school and the portal. He has also won some of the toughest B1G games on their schedule, no easy feat and something Pat Chambers could never really do. I’d have some reservations but am placing an early wager on Shrewsberry being the next head coach at Notre Dame.