March 28, 2011

Georgia Tech Names Brian Gregory Head Basketball Coach

March 28, 2011

ATLANTA – Brian Gregory, who led the University of Dayton to 97 victories over the last four years and worked under Tom Izzo at Michigan State when the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA championship, was named Georgia Tech’s head basketball coach, athletic director Dan Radakovich announced Monday afternoon.

Gregory is the 13th head coach in Yellow Jacket history, replacing Paul Hewitt.

“Brian Gregory is not only an outstanding basketball coach, but he is a tireless worker and recruiter who cares deeply about his players,” Radakovich said. “There is no question that he will succeed as basketball coach at Georgia Tech, and he will win by doing things the right way.”

“We are tremendously pleased that Brian Gregory has agreed to lead Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “He is known for combining hard work, discipline on and off the court and his ability to relate well to the players for a winning program and academic success for students. We’re excited to welcome Coach Gregory and his family to the Georgia Tech family and the ACC.”

Gregory coached eight seasons at Dayton where he compiled a record of 172-94 and participated in the NCAA Tournament or NIT five times. His 2003-04 and 2008-09 teams earned NCAA Tournament berths and last season the Flyers captured the NIT crown after beating North Carolina in the championship game.

The 1990 Oakland (Mich.) University graduate won 150 games faster (seven seasons) than any coach in Dayton history. Over the last four seasons combined, his teams went 13-4 against BCS-level teams.

Gregory clearly put an emphasis on academics during his tenure at Dayton. Entering the 2010-11 season, every senior who played for Gregory graduated (23-of-23). All seven seniors who played on the 2010 NIT title team graduated last spring.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Dayton, Gregory spent the second of two highly-successful stints at Michigan State, where he was an assistant coach for two years before being promoted to associate head coach under Izzo for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. During those four years, the Spartans won one NCAA championship (2000), made three Elite Eight appearances, two Final Fours and claimed two Big Ten Conference championships. MSU also saw four of its players selected in the first round of the NBA draft and the Spartans signed six McDonald’s All-Americans during that four-year run.

A native of Mount Prospect, Ill., Gregory’s first coaching job came during his first association with Michigan State in 1990 as an assistant to head coach Jud Heathcote. In 1995, Izzo replaced Heathcote and Gregory remained with the Spartans for one season before working one season under Stan Joplin at Toledo in 1996. After one season at Toledo, Gregory returned to the Big Ten where he worked as an assistant coach under Kevin O’Neill at Northwestern for two seasons.

In all, Gregory arrived at Dayton with 15 years of coaching experience, including 12 seasons in the Big Ten Conference.

At Dayton, Gregory developed a national reputation as a tireless recruiter, a sideline tactician and a coach who cares about his players – on and off the court.

This past season Dayton won 22 games (22-14), won road games against Southeastern Conference (Mississippi) and Big East Conference (Seton Hall) schools, and advanced to the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament before losing to eventual NCAA Sweet 16 participant Richmond. The Flyers, who won more than 20 games for the fourth consecutive season, knocked off Xavier in the opening round of the A-10 Tournament.

In 2009-10, Gregory’s team won 25 games (25-12) and put together an impressive March run, winning five consecutive games to capture the NIT championship. The Flyers’ NIT title run included a win over Illinois State, road wins at Cincinnati and Illinois, and victories over Mississippi and North Carolina in Madison Square Garden.

Dayton began the 2009-10 season in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic where the Flyers defeated then-21st-ranked Georgia Tech in the opening round, 63-59, on Nov. 19, 2009.

In 2008-09, Dayton went 27-8 – the second-most single-season victories in the history of that program – including wins over Marquette and against West Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

In Gregory’s first season at Dayton in 2003-04, he guided the Flyers to a 24-9 record including the EA Sports Maui Invitational championship (Gregory is the only rookie coach to win the prestigious early-season tournament). That Dayton team, which began the season 9-0 under its rookie coach, finished first in the Atlantic 10’s West Division.

The following season, 2004-05, Gregory guided one of the youngest teams in the country (six freshmen averaged at least 11 minutes a game) to an 18-11 record, finishing tied for second in the A-10 West. CBS Sportsline.com and collegeinsider.com chose Gregory as their Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. In both 2008 and 2009, Gregory traveled to the Persian Gulf to support the troops in the USO’s “Operation Hardwood,” a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour. Gregory and wife Yvette have two daughters, Isabella and Elyse.

GREGORY AS A HEAD COACH
Season School Overall Conference Postseason
2010-11 Dayton 22-14 7-9 NIT

2009-10 Dayton 25-12 8-8 NIT Champions

2008-09 Dayton 27-8 11-5 NCAA Tournament

2007-08 Dayton 23-11 8-8 NIT

2006-07 Dayton 19-12 8-8

2005-06 Dayton 14-17 6-10

2004-05 Dayton 18-11 10-6

2003-04 Dayton 24-9 12-4 NCAA

TOTAL 172-94 75-58

GREGORY AS AN ASSISTANT COACH

Michigan State 1990-96, 1999-2003

Associate head coach under Tom Izzo, 2001-03