Let's Make a Deal: Anderson Joins Brey With Security Into Next Decade

Mike Brey has come a long way in college basketball since commencing his playing career by averaging 5 points per game with Northwestern State (Natchitoches, La.) in 1977-78 and 1978-79 when the then NCAA Division I newcomer Demons compiled a 19-34 two-season record while losing to Louisiana College three times and East Texas Baptist once.

It might not duplicate the lifetime contract of Brey's former mentor, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, or agreements for Rick Pitino with Louisville (through 2025-26) and Ben Jacobson with Northern Iowa, but his deal with Notre Dame through 2021-22 is among the longest defined coaching contracts. Only West Virginia's Bob Huggins, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, Akron's Keith Dambrot, Valparaiso's Bryce Drew and Virginia Commonwealth's Shaka Smart surpass them by one year.

The length of Brey's pact certainly can be justified if he eventually directs the Irish to its initial NCAA Tournament championship game, but he first needs to guide them to first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003. A shaky economy is not deterring universities from dishing out long-term agreements as Arkansas' Mike Anderson joined the following alphabetical list of coaches boasting contracts extending at least five additional seasons into the next decade:

Coach School Length of Contract
Steve Alford UCLA through 2020-21
Mike Anderson Arkansas through 2019-20
Rick Barnes Tennessee through 2020-21
Randy Bennett Saint Mary's through 2020-21
Tony Bennett Virginia through 2020-21
Mike Brey Notre Dame through 2021-22
Brad Brownell Clemson through 2019-20
John Calipari Kentucky through 2020-21
Tom Crean Indiana through 2019-20
Mick Cronin Cincinnati through 2020-21
Keith Dambrot Akron through 2022-23
Jamie Dixon Pittsburgh through 2022-23
Bryce Drew Valparaiso through 2022-23
Jerod Haase UAB through 2020-21
Frank Haith Tulsa through 2020-21
Fred Hoiberg Iowa State through 2020-21
Michael Huger Bowling Green through 2020-21
Bob Huggins West Virginia through 2022-23
Ron Hunter Georgia State through 2019-20
Danny Hurley Rhode Island through 2020-21
Tom Izzo Michigan State through 2020-21
Ben Jacobson Northern Iowa through 2024-25
Jim Larranaga Miami (FL) through 2021-22
Steve Lavin St. John's through 2019-20
Mike Lonergan George Washington through 2020-21
Chris Mack Xavier through 2019-20
Gregg Marshall Wichita State through 2021-22
Greg McDermott Creighton through 2019-20
Archie Miller Dayton through 2021-22
Chris Mooney Richmond through 2020-21
LeVelle Moton North Carolina Central through 2021-22
Craig Neal New Mexico through 2019-20
Tim O'Shea Bryant through 2019-20
Rick Pitino Louisville through 2025-26
Lorenzo Romar Washington through 2019-20
Dave Rose Brigham Young through 2019-20
Bill Self Kansas through 2021-22
Larry Shyatt Wyoming through 2019-20
Shaka Smart Virginia Commonwealth through 2022-23
Donnie Tyndall Tennessee through 2019-20
Michael White Louisiana Tech through 2019-20
Roy Williams North Carolina through 2019-20
Marty Wilson Pepperdine through 2020-21