Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Mike Brey and All Big-East guard Ben Hansbrough have been recognized for their extraordinary seasons on the court. Brey was named Big East coach of the year and Hansbrough was awarded Big East player of the year. And off the court forward Tim Abromaitis was recognized as Scholar-Athlete of the year. The announcements were made Tuesday night during the first round of the Big East tournament.

Mike Brey is no stranger to this award. He won it for the third time in five years. The Notre Dame coach led the Irish to a 14-4 Big East record this season after being picked 7th in the preseason. The 14 wins match the Fighting Irish record for conference wins. Brey’s team is ranked 4th in the nation, their highest ranking since 1980.

Upon being hononred Brey remarked "It's very humbling when you think about the guys in this league.”

The Mississippi State transfer, Ben Hansbrough, won the award with intense competition from St. John’s Dwight Hardy and UCONN’s Kemba Walker among others.  Hansbrough was delighted upon hearing the news of his award on Sunday. "I'm thrilled to be an example of what hard work and believing in yourself can be all about," said Hansbrough.

The brother of North Carolina standout Tyler Hansbrough was third in Big East scoring with a team-high 18.5 points a game and led his team with 4.2 assists. He is ranked top ten in seven different statistical categories in the Big East including steals and three point shooting.

He is the fourth Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball player to earn player of the year honors. Luke Harangody, Troy Murphy and Pat Garrity won prior.