SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A little more than 35 years after he left Northwestern State's basketball program, Notre Dame men's basketball coach Mike Brey showed there is still plenty of purple and orange coursing through his veins.
 
Brey dropped by the Inn at St. Mary on Friday afternoon to speak with the Demons baseball team, who was headed to Frank Eck Stadium for the opener of their three-game series with Notre Dame.
 
Now 15 years into his tenure as the Irish's men's basketball coach, Brey was in his element Friday, sharing stories about his days as an NSU athlete. Just how good was Brey on the court? Nearly four decades after he last played at Prather Coliseum, the former point guard remains No. 9 on NSU's all-time assist chart with 311.
 
Brey's 10-or-so-minute speech to the Demons was a mix of living in the present and a subtle reminder of just how precious a time college can be for a student-athlete.
 
He kept the current Demons laughing and grinning while recalling his time in Natchitoches and, more specifically, the hijinks that occurred in the old Rapides Hall dormitory, which has since been demolished.
 
It was easy to see how much Natchitoches and his time as a Demon meant to Brey. He asked Patrick Netherton, the radio voice of Demons athletics, how Brey's former coach, Tynes Hildebrand, was doing after Hildebrand's recent illness.
 
He asked about Mike McConathy, whose 16-year Demons tenure began one season before Brey arrived in his office at the Joyce Center on Notre Dame's picturesque campus.
 
Prior to speaking to the team, Brey also reflected on what might have been, thinking out loud about had Hildebrand remained the Northwestern State coach after Brey's junior season. After Hildebrand was relieved of his coaching duties, Brey played his senior season at George Washington in his hometown of Washington, D.C.
 
Brey spoke about the wealth of athletic talent that permeated the NSU campus during his time there – a group of athletes that included future NFL star Mark Duper and future MLB closer Lee Smith, who retired as the major leagues' all-time saves leader.
 
He also related the tale of Pat Connaughton, one of Brey's senior leaders on the Irish team that took previously unbeaten Kentucky to the wire in the Elite Eight in March. Connaughton was a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 and played rookie ball for six weeks.
 
Connaughton returned to Notre Dame for the basketball season and may have a career in the NBA.
 
Connaughton's decision made things tough on Brey, who grew up an Orioles fan. Brey joked about how hurt he was that his ability to cultivate Connaughton's talent may have cost his favorite MLB team a potential stud pitcher.
 
Connaughton's decision will be tougher than when Brey had to decide where to play his college basketball. Brey recounted having just two offers when he finished his senior season at De Matha High School, a longtime national power.
 
"I had an offer from Northwestern and one from the University of Vermont," Brey said. "I visited Vermont on Halloween, and it was snowing. I came down to visit Northwestern in the spring, and there was no doubt where I was going."
 
Despite him spending just three years in Natchitoches, the memories are as clear as the smells wafting throughout downtown from Lasyone's kitchen.
 
"Do they still have the meat pies?" Brey asked, which was met with a resounding yes.