When the University of Dayton went looking for a new basketball coach, the Flyers were in an enviable position. Unlike programs in need of rebuilding, the University was looking for the coach who would take an already successful program -- a ranked team coming off a 24-win season -- and raise it to the next level. UD turned to Brian Gregory, one of the rising stars in the coaching profession, to do just that.

And now that the Flyers have Gregory, they want to keep themselves in the enviable position of having him in charge of the Dayton basketball fortunes for a long time. Just two years into his original five-year agreement, this summer the University and head men's basketball coach Brian Gregory worked out to 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 three-year record of 56-37 is second only to Don Donoher's remarkable 70-19 record in his first three seasons. 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. After opening his third year 8-3, 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.

He 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. Neither of the two coaching giants of Flyer basketball-Tom Blackburn nor Donoher-got out of the gate as strongly as Gregory.

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, 39, 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 Indiana Pacers 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, Marquette'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).

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