Brian Gregory Last College: Oakland ('90) Position: Head Coach Record: 98-60 (5 Years at UD)

As the University of Dayton basketball climbed into the national college basketball rankings last December, it signaled a benchmark for Flyer head basketball coach Brian Gregory. In less than five seasons at the Hilltop, and in his first with a team made up of solely his recruits, Gregory had put together a Top 25-caliber program.

When the Flyers vaulted out to a 14-1 record and a #14 ranking in the Associated Press poll of January 14, it was the highest ranking for a Dayton team in 40 years. And while a cataclysm of injuries and illness eventually led to the team dropping out of the polls, they could not take away what was already in the books - a win at #11 Louisville, a homecourt win over #6 Pitt, and the national recognition of a member of Gregory's first recruiting class, Brian Roberts, as one of the top guards in the country.

Following the 2007-08 campaign, Gregory was selected as one of eight college basketball coaches to travel to the Persian Gulf and visit troops as part of the fifth installment of "Operation Hardwood," a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour.

The tour featured a week-long basketball tournament and championship game with some of the best military players stationed overseas. Joining Gregory on the tour were Fran Fraschilla (ESPN Basketball Analyst and former St. John's head coach), Jeff Jones (American), Reggie Minton (National Association of Basketball Coaches Deputy Director and former Air Force head coach), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Barry Rohrssen (Manhattan), Tom Schuberth (Texas-Pan American) and Jerry Wainwright (DePaul).

"These men and women sacrifice so much to serve our country," Gregory said. "They put themselves in harm's way every day, and it was a great honor to be with them over there."

Among the coaches and basketball figures who have participated in previous tours are Jay Bilas, Mike Brey, Bobby Cremins, Karl Hobbs, Tom Izzo, Bobby Lutz, Dave Odom, the late Skip Prosser, Tubby Smith and Gary Williams.

It's interesting that all this came in Gregory's fifth year, since he originally signed a five-year contract when he was named UD's coach in 2003. Just two years into his original five-year agreement, the University and head men's basketball coach Brian Gregory worked out a new contract that will run through the 2012-13 season.

When it was announced, UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics Ted Kissell said "This new contract includes incentives for performance and longevity. It is not just based on what Brian has accomplished in his first two years as our coach, but also for what we believe is to come. Brian Gregory is the right man to move our men's basketball program to a place among the nation's best."

Gregory's 98 wins in his first five seasons trails only the two icons of Dayton Flyer basketball. Don Donoher won a remarkable 116 games in his first five years as a head coach, and Tom Blackburn won 107 in his first five campaigns. Gregory began his tenure at Dayton with a 9-0 record, the second-best start for a new UD coach in the 100+ year history of varsity basketball at the school. Only Harry Solimano, who won his first 25 games over a three-year span that began in 1911, did better.

Dayton was 24-9 in Gregory's first season, winning the EA Sports Maui Invitational (Gregory is the only rookie coach to win the prestigious early-season tournament) at the beginning, and winning the Atlantic 10 West at the end.

After taking a veteran team to the 2004 NCAA Tournament, 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 2004-05 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.

Gregory's Flyers opened his third year 8-3, but injuries and a lack of depth limited the Flyers to a 14-17 final record, although it's worth noting five of the wins and 11 of the losses came against post-season teams. In 2006-07, Dayton rebounded to finish 19-12 with nine of the losses coming on the road against teams that won a combined 74.2 percent of their home games.

Last year, the climb continued even with the injuries. The team reinvented itself on the fly after the great start was diluted by the loss of Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection Chris Wright, the first and most damaging of the injuries. Dayton was 23-11 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT, losing at eventual champ Ohio State in 2007-08.

Gregory brought with him to Dayton the knowledge of what it takes to win championships, and a reputation as a top-notch recruiter. On the court, his Flyers won titles in their first two opportunities with the trophies from Maui and the A-10 West division. The first recruiting class Gregory and his staff signed to play for UD was ranked as high as 17th in the nation.

He also demonstrated his skills as a bench coach, making savvy move after savvy move in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. Since it was Maui, it would be tempting to say that UD coach Brian Gregory drew up the defense that turned the tide in the Hawai'i game in the sand, but figuratively speaking you wouldn't be far off.

Down eight at halftime, the Flyer coaches refined one of their zone defenses with a secretive walk-through at halftime with the Hawai'i team just a few feet away. Here's Gregory's post-game description: "We thought if they started clicking on offense we might try the zone. But it was close enough for most of the first half, we wanted to save it for the second half, so they couldn't make any adjustments at halftime. We actually did a walk-through of what we wanted to do at halftime. Up where the locker rooms are, there is an open space right outside the locker room door. We put the defense in right there. I told everyone to make sure they were quiet because Hawai'i was just on the other side of the divider they put up between the two teams up there."

The strategy and execution it took to win at Maui didn't go unnoticed. ESPN's Jay Bilas made this observation after the tournament: "...Gregory did a great job of preparing his team, and his handling of the second half of the Hawai'i game was outstanding. Gregory's call for a lob play out of a critical timeout was well-conceived and well-executed, worthy of a veteran coach."

Gregory, 41, was named the Flyers' 18th head coach on April 9, 2003 (although he is just the fifth UD coach in the last 59 years). He came to Dayton from Michigan State, where he was associate head coach on Tom Izzo's Spartan staff. While at MSU, he was part of two Final Four teams, including Michigan State's national championship team in 2000.

"We're excited to introduce Brian Gregory as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Dayton," Vice-President and Director of Athletics Ted Kissell said at the press conference naming Gregory as head coach. "He has learned from three great coaches. He knows what it takes to create a championship program. Brian Gregory is a winner."

"In addition to his professional credentials, Brian is a great fit for the University of Dayton and the Dayton community." Kissell continued. "He has demonstrated that he will recruit young men of strong personal character who will be winners on the court, in the classroom and in the community."

"I'm honored and excited to be named the head basketball coach at the University of Dayton," Gregory said. "It's a program rich in tradition with tremendous community and fan support, and a great foundation has been laid for this program."

"I've been well-prepared by my mentors-Jud Heathcote (former Michigan State coach), Kevin O'Neill (current Arizona assistant coach) and Tom Izzo (current Michigan State head coach)-and look forward to building a championship program at UD."

A native of Mount Prospect, Illinois, Gregory brought 15 years of coaching experience to Dayton, with 12 of them coming in the Big Ten. Teams he was with have reached the post-season in 12 of his 15 seasons. He began his coaching career in 1990 at Michigan State University on Jud Heathcote's staff until 1995, and then Tom Izzo's staff when Izzo succeeded Heathcote.

In 1996, Gregory followed Stan Joplin when Joplin went from Michigan State to become Toledo's head coach. After one season at Toledo, Gregory returned to the Big Ten by joining Kevin O'Neill's program at Northwestern. Gregory returned to Michigan State for the 1999-2000 season when he joined Tom Izzo's staff in East Lansing. After two seasons serving as an assistant coach, Gregory was elevated to Associate Head Coach for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.

In his last stint at Michigan State, the Spartans went to the NCAA tournament all four seasons, reaching the Final Four in 2000 and 2001, and winning the NCAA national championship in 2000.

In the four years coinciding with Gregory's return to Michigan State, the Spartans had a national championship, two Final Four appearances, three Elite Eight appearances, four NCAA bids, two Big Ten Championships, four players drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, and MSU signed six McDonald's All-Americans.

While preparing to be a head coach, Gregory had been recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the country by such recognized publications as The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.

As a recruiter, he was part of four Top Ten recruiting classes at Michigan State. He also helped bring a Top Twenty recruiting class to Northwestern.

Gregory is the fourth Tom Izzo assistant to land a Division I head coaching position. In addition to Joplin, Indiana's Tom Crean (who took Marquette to the 2004 Final Four) and Arkansas' Stan Heath (who took Kent State to the 2002 Sweet Sixteen) are part of Izzo's coaching family tree.

Gregory graduated from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. While at Oakland, he was a three-time all-conference selection, and was named an Academic All-American in 1990. He was inducted into Oakland's Hall of Fame in 1997. Before transferring to Oakland, Gregory spent one year at the United States Naval Academy, and was a teammate of David Robinson on Navy's 1985-86 team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight (note: That was not the Navy team that played in the NCAA tournament in UD Arena. Navy beat LSU and lost to Maryland in 1985 at UD Arena.). He also holds a master's degree in Athletic Administration from Michigan State (`92).

Not content to be a prominent member of the University of Dayton community impacting the lives of the student-athletes on his team, Gregory has become very involved in the Dayton community since coming to the Miami Valley in 2003. He is the spokesperson for National City's "Real Men Wear Pink" breast cancer prevention and care program. He was also the honorary chair of the United Way's 2007 pledge campaign. Gregory and his wife Yvette are most heavily involved in a local chapter of "Secret Smiles," a charity that delivers beds and bedding to children of families who cannot provide for them.

Not only do the Gregorys lend their time and support to the annual auction held every year on the "Flyer Feedback" post-game radio show (last year's auction raised $18,000 in one night), the coach also helps deliver the beds. "It's one of my favorite things to do," Gregory says. "I pull my UD ball cap down low, and I'm just a guy delivering a bed."

Brian and Yvette have two daughters -- Isabella, and Elyse.