Notre Dame's Mike Brey takes lessons learned into game against Pitt

After Notre Dame lost to Syracuse, 84-82, last month, Irish coach Mike Brey was looking for help anywhere he could find it.

It was one day after Brey’s high school coach, the legendary Morgan Wootten, died at age 88. Brey played for and coached with Wootten at DeMatha Catholic in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s.

“I may get a text from heaven tonight,” Brey said through a smile. “ ‘Mike, remember the one-on-one drills we did at DeMatha. Keep your man in front.’

“I may get that tonight, and God bless him. I deserve it.”

The Irish have played only three games since that night, but someone must be keeping his man “in front,” at least often enough for Notre Dame to win twice.

After losing 85-84 at current No. 8 Florida State, the Irish (13-8, 4-6 ACC) defeated Wake Forest, 90-80, and Georgia Tech, 80-72. Next up for Notre Dame is Pitt (14-8, 5-6) on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind.

The game will be one of the most difficult tests yet for Pitt’s defense. Notre Dame is 56th in the nation and second in the ACC in scoring (an average of 76.8 points per game).

“I like where we’re trending as we get ready for Pittsburgh,” Brey said.

Brey runs his program the way he learned to do it under Wootten, who compiled a 1,274-192 record, with 40 consecutive 20-victory seasons, from 1956-2002.

“I call him the ultimate educator,” Brey said. “The ultimate teacher. That is what we all do in these positions and probably need to remind ourselves that we’re teachers first.

“He was fabulous in always giving confidence to young people, making them feel they could do things they never, ever dreamed of. I happened to be one of those when I played for him and when I coached with him.

“He always made me feel I could climb some mountains.”

Brey was a DeMatha teammate of former Pitt player Pete Strickland, and he said the two keep in contact.

“I draw on my experiences, as does Pete Strickland, with Morgan Wootten every day,” Brey said.

What he learned from Wootten has more to do with handling young men than it is does designing X’s and O’s.

“This generation of young people, especially who play at the Power 5 level, they’re very hard on themselves,” Brey said. “They work on their game. They watch everything. They want to be perfect, and they have a hard time handling failure.

“I think to get them to move on from a bad play or a bad game is really a challenge. It’s the new challenge as teachers of this generation of young people.”

Brey has done a good job of guiding his players through tough times.

After finishing 14-19 a year ago, including a 56-53 loss to Pitt, Notre Dame opened this season 6-1 before losing seven of its next 12. Four of those losses were by a total of 11 points.

Among the keys have been Notre Dame’s young players growing up and knowing their roles, as well as a unique way of practicing.

“It was a matter of guys feeling confident about rising up and taking their shot,” Brey said, “and being more aggressive, which is why we practiced with a 20-second shot clock at the end of last year, through the summer and through the preseason.

“Nobody has time to overanalyze a good shot. We’re getting down the floor, and we’ll make plays.”

Pitt’s victory last season broke its 13-game losing streak, but coach Jeff Capel said that has little to do with the game coming up Wednesday. In that game, Pitt held Irish star John Mooney, a career 46.2% shooter, to one basket in 11 attempts and 10 points below his 2018-19 average of 14.5.

Capel doesn’t believe in luck, but he said, “I just think we got fortunate.”

“He missed a lot of shots that he normally makes. Sometimes, that can get you a little bit frustrated, get you a little bit anxious.

“He’s a really, really good player, a guy I have so much respect for, for what he’s done during his career there. Each year, he’s gotten better and better to where he’s one of the best rebounders in all of college basketball.”

Among Mooney’s career highlights:

• A 6-foot-9, 242-pound senior, he needs six rebounds against Pitt to reach 800.

• He has recorded a double-double in eight of the Irish’s 10 conference games this season and has a career total of 38. Runner-up Jordan Nwora of Louisville has only 14.

• Mooney leads the ACC and is second in the nation in rebounds (13.2) and is averaging 16.5 points, fifth in the conference.

Pitt’s ability to limit Mooney’s effectiveness will be one of the deciding factors.

“Anytime you have to defend an outstanding player, it’s a huge challenge, especially a guy who has experience like he has,” Capel said. “He can score inside. He can score from the perimeter, from 3, mid-range.

“I’m hoping we can be fortunate again on Wednesday.”

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