Mike Brey Notebook: Delaware
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey spoke about returning home to face his former assistant coach Martin Ingelsby on Saturday night.
On the win:
"I thought we played well. We needed to bounce back a little bit after our loss on Tuesday, so that was good.
"We did some good stuff tonight. We shot it well. We haven’t shot it great since we’ve been back from Maui. Maybe we’re breaking the ice again.
"We’ve got exam week coming up, so it will slow down for us a little bit before we play Indiana on Saturday."
On return to Delaware:
"I thought this was the worst idea I’ve ever come up with. They set me up. They bring me back. Martin’s team did play well. They kept the heat on us in the second half. I love what he’s doing with the program.
"I’m not sure I ever want to do this again. It was different emotionally coming back here and competing against a guy I love. It was neat to be back, and I saw a lot of familiar faces. I spent 10 minutes with David Rozell, the guy that got me up here. It’s been cool being back here."
On TJ Gibbs and Matt Farrell:
“Those two guys have to score for us. I thought both of them were feeling good and playing a little bit faster. We’re pushing the ball down the court a little bit more. It gets them some looks early, and we don’t have to play against a set defense. It helps our guards."
On Rex Pflueger:
“He’s a veteran guy that knows he’s going to be in there and it’s going to come back around to him. I like how he lets the game come to him. He has to guard a guy too. We always put him on a good offensive guy.”
On the trip:
“We got in and practiced. We came over here and shot. I did not go to Klondikes because I could use a good crabcake. I didn’t get down there. I have a feeling some of my staff got down there. I think some of my staff missed curfew.”
On Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby:
“He’s got a great ability to connect with young people. He’s a confidence giving guy. His demeanor as a player is calm and poised. He never panics, and he was like that when he played for me.
“He’s on the right track with good young players. He’s playing them and building their confidence.”
On homecoming:
“It was really awesome to come out and see a lot of familiar faces. It was very touching and emotional for me. There are so many memories in this building. We practiced last night and shot today, I just looked around trying to remember all the really good stuff that happened here.
“I was so fortunate to be here. This place set me up for the rest of my coaching career. I draw on the experiences I had here every day.”