JotCast | February 26 Notre Dame hoops chat

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Mark from Rochester, NY

10:13

Forget the coach since it’s already been covered. Why can’t Pete give the program more resources to compete? I understand the football aspect and academic aspect, but I find it hard to believe they won’t spend the money for NIL but will build Rolfs?

Tom Noie

10:13

Clint: I know you're not new around here, so I won't ask it, but the answer is simple in college basketball.

Clint from Winnipeg

10:12

Is Ven-Allen Lubin trying to set some kind of a record by playing for four schools in four years, three in the ACC? You must have some understanding of his mindset. What would cause a talented player to want to jump from place to place? Think about what an impact he could be having on this year's ND team.

Tom Noie

10:11

Andrew: Your future is Brady Koehler and Garrett Sundra. Matthew MacLellan is a great kid and a great story, but are we really wondering about an NAIA guy who has played 32 total minutes this season? At some point, how about trusting the coaching staff to play the right guys?

Andrew, Plymouth

10:10

MacClellan gave the team some good minutes in a couple games in mid-January and Koehler and Sundra both seem to play a lot of empty minutes with little impact. I understand wanting to develop the young guys, but I believe Njie was still healthy when MacClellan got those minutes. What happened to give him those minutes and why did they disappear so quickly? Guys that are 6'10 & 6'11 need to grab more than 3 rebounds a game.

Tom Noie

10:09

I'll circle back to the common theme that this was always going to take time and patience. You (not you specifically, Justin, but you as in everyone) don't have to like that as a fan, but you have to understand it. Notre Dame is trying to do it in a way that too few (if any) high-major programs are trying to do it. If you're going to go the recruiting/development route, you better be ready/willing/able to wait it out. That's where Notre Dame is now.

10:06

Justin: How about patience? You say "achieving better success over the past three years." Look at the rosters those first two seasons. They weren't winning with the way those were constructed. It was more patchwork and pray than anything. This was the year that Notre Dame expected to make a move, and then Markus Burton goes down. Yes, a thousand times, yes, it shouldn't matter that your entire season gets shot down because of the loss of one player, but everything Notre Dame wanted to do was predicated on having Markus Burton. Without him, players were anticipated/expected to step into roles that they were ill-prepared to step into.

Justin - Ft Wayne

10:03

In your opinion, what has been the biggest hurdle that has kept this program from achieving better success over the past three years? Recruiting appears to have been pretty good, and injuries happen, but to me the failures have come from a multitude of areas. Failing to close out games like Ohio State early in the year. Failures to make free throws in critical moments, or the failure of situational awareness to have a poor free throw shooter handling the ball in the closing seconds of a game. We saw an overall failure on offense essentially over the past 3 years. Is it a size issue and the inability to work the ball inside that stymies the offensive production? Or is it something entirely different such as schematic and philosophy? Thanks for everything you do covering this program!

Tom Noie

9:52

Andrew: Sorry to disappoint, but Pat Garrity has less than zero input on anything that's happening on the floor or in practice. Now, he's been a sounding board for Micah Shrewsberry after games and during quiet times during the week, but that's about it. He's the general manager. Shrewsberry has a basketball staff that handles basketball stuff.

Andrew, Plymouth

9:51

Is Pat Garrity willing to address Shrewsberry's overcoaching? We all know that "this is just the way he is" but it's frustrating to hear Micah constantly take the blame for any and all issues in press conferences but then appear to not make many changes to himself or the root cause of the issues. We don't need him pointing and shouting at guys to run certain plays when up 20 with 2 minutes to go. I have to imagine there's been some player push back, as well, to just "let us play, coach."

Tom Noie

9:50

Justin: Weather talk time for the chat. Last time we did our ND hoops chat, we had over two FEET of snow on the ground and wind chills were in the (-20s). Today, the snow is gone, there's thunder and lightning rolling through and the windows are open. Shorts and hoodie weather. Totally bizarre.

Justin - Ft Wayne

9:49

Good morning Tom! The lightning & thunder were certainly a weird way to wake up this morning, in February.

Tom Noie

9:49

Andrew: Are we sure Kebba Njie is out of eligibility? Might be something worth monitoring. Don't be surprised if he finds a way back for a sixth season. Watch.

Andrew, Plymouth

9:48

Have you started to hear any rumblings about which players may return/leave for next season? I assume we'll also need to find another big in the transfer portal, with Njie and Towt being out of eligibility and no clear solution in sight.

Tom Noie

9:48

Ryan: Cole Certa goes for 34 against Virginia, then has 37 against Georgia Tech. Not sure many of us saw THAT coming. It's a shame that Notre Dame is 3-10 in the league. The way Certa has played would merit serious consideration (and maybe tops) for most improved player. He's only going to get better. Carson Towt is this program's emotional heartbeat.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois

9:46

Tom what do you think about the play of Cole Certa and Carson Towt i was at the Georgia Tech Game and they both looked good GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏀🏀🏀

Tom Noie

9:46

Gary: Anybody with any eligibility left is a transfer portal candidate. Everyone can leave. That's college basketball 2026-27 and beyond.

Gary Rivers Mishawaka , In

9:45

Do you think ND will lose any players to the transfer portal ? If so who might that be ? If they all stick around that experience could make for an exciting next season

Tom Noie

9:44

Gary: Anybody who wants to be at Notre Dame. Who fits Notre Dame and sees Notre Dame for what it is. Those players are hard to find today. Transfers want to be paid, and be paid a lot. There's a reason why Notre Dame's recent transfers have come from Northwestern, Seton Hall, Monmouth, Lehigh, Princeton, Northern Arizona and Madonna.

Gary Rivers Mishawaka , In

9:42

What type of player should ND be looking for in the portal ?

Tom Noie

9:42

Notre Dame basketball fans don't like it when I say that its basketball peers in the ACC are Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. It's not a coincidence that four teams scrambling to get to Charlotte for the league tournament are Boston College, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

9:40

John: This times 10. This is what the group (you know who you are) who want Micah Shrewsberry gone yesterday fails to understand, or choose to ignore. In this new age of college basketball, one of NILs and bags of cash and multiple transfers and multiple roster turnover, Micah Shrewsberry has been tasked with doing it the old way of building through recruiting. That's a tough ask. Maybe too big of a one.

John from Naperville

9:38

Tom- thank you for being a voice of reason over the past few months. The demands for success on MS are unrealistic for where ND athletic department wants him to run his program. Extremely limited quick fixes in portal, ok NIL (?), type of student athlete etc. He has to do it through bringing in HS kids who are playing against 22-23 year olds with 3-4 years of D1 experience. Burton injury aside, almost of the meaningful minutes are coming from underclassmen. Whats the old line, "best thing about Freshman is they become sophomores...". IF (big IF) he can keep this existing core together, and add a post grad transfers, next year has a chance to be a good one, and potentially even better the following year. That might be unrealistic in today's transfer portal world, but one can dream right? Patience and a 5 year rebuild has always been the plan with this staff/hire, and almost every single kid in the program has improved in their time at ND with the exception of maybe Kebba Njie. Give it some time to play out.

Tom Noie

9:36

Dave: I cannot agree more. Carson Towt is fun to watch and hustles his #$% off, but there's no world that I would consider Carson Towt a better player or a better rebounder than Tom Hawkins, who I never saw play (too young) but who was one of my all-time favorite people to speak with. You left any conversation with Tommy Hawkins a better person. He was the epitome of a Notre Dame man. Towt may etch his name above Hawkins' in this record or that one, but if you know Notre Dame basketball, you know. There aren't many better than Tommy Hawkins. Ever. Same goes for Troy Murphy and Luke Harangody and Bonzie Colson and John Mooney, all guys who did it over several seasons. If I see Carson Towt's name next to any program rebounding record, I'll also see it with an asterisk. Like, oh, yeah, he was a one-year guy. Good player, but big difference.

Dave, Alpha, NJ

9:32

Hi Tom. I always enjoy the chats and all of your coverage.
Just a comment on how records are viewed. Obviously Carson hustles and rebounds like a machine however, I think it’s an injustice to Tom Hawkins if he is considered the all-time leading rebounder in Notre Dame history if he’s only here a year. With all due respect he brings it every night and it’s probably better suited as a power forward than a pivot.

Tom Noie

9:32

Claire: You kind of answered the question. If either leave, it will simply be for a bigger payday. Should they leave? No. Might they leave? Yes, because that's college basketball today. It would be quite the statement if both returned, pledged their loyalty to Micah Shrewsberry and said, we're going to do this here.

Claire, Pittsburgh

9:30

Do you have any feel yet what the chances are of Burton and Haralson returning next year ? While I love Haralson’s potential ceiling and the physical ability, he certainly needs to stay in college at least another year, improve his outside shot at a minimum to be ready for the NBA.

Tom Noie

9:30

Mike: You need to preach that gospel to your fellow season-ticket holders and Purcell Pavilion denizens. I'm leaning your direction after having a thought - everyone wants/demands/expects college basketball freshmen and sophomores to be NBA ready right now. What if this group is different. The ACC elite teams can have their freshmen and sophomores look NBA ready right away, but what if Notre Dame's freshman and sophomores have to wait until their junior and senior seasons to look like that? Maybe that's the case....

MIKE FOREMAN

9:27

Call me crazy but even with their record I still think they have one of the best group of young players they have had in several years. Then you have the 6-11 freshman having to set out this year. The inquires to Burton and Njie. And on paper looks like another good class next year. If everyone comes back next year I can see good things for next year. I have been a season ticket holder for over 40 years and would sure like to see a couple of good years in my life time. LOL

Tom Noie

9:27

Mike: He might because he can, but there's really no reason for him to declare so he can receive feedback from NBA teams. The feedback would be obvious - lock the doors of Rolfs Hall and develop a 3-point shot (.208) and clean up some of the turnovers (69 to 62 assists). There's a lot to work with there, but there's a lot to do before he gets there.

Mike from Rochester, NY

9:24

Do you anticipate Haralson putting his name in the NBA Draft and going through the process, like Burton has in prior years?

Tom Noie

9:24

Mike: It has to. Absolute must. It might be the most frustrating aspect of watching this team play for the last three years. They don't value the ball. The don't treat it like gold. They turn it over too often, which leads to live-ball runout "pick-sixes" and easy baskets. It's the one aspect that we took for granted for too long. Notre Dame's assist/turnover ratios the last three years have been 0.81 (335th in nation), 1.03 (269) and 1.07 (267). Its assist numbers have been 10.6 (344th), 11.4 (319) and 12.3 (296). Those have to change for Notre Dame to have a chance. You don't have to be as athletically gifted as the ACC elite if you're ridiculously efficient. That's the aspect that has kept this team from being good. Take care of the ball. Share the ball. Protect the ball. Those numbers must jump into the 100s for Notre Dame to have a serious chance.

Mike from Rochester, NY

9:21

Assuming Burton returns next year, do you see ND improving on its propensity to turn the ball over and its woeful assist statistics? Or is that a function of the one-on-one, matchup-based approach of Shrewsberry that looks like an NBA strategy, but without the talent?

Tom Noie

9:18

Mike: Are we sure that not landing a big man is a Micah Shrewsberry "failure?" To get a big man, you need to have a big man who wants to come to Notre Dame. If you're a big with the ability to play at the ACC level, why would you look at Notre Dame? The days of landing a Paul Atkinson type are over. If Atkinson were available today, Notre Dame couldn't afford him. As for Ahneman and Solongo, the expectations for both are pretty much a blank slate. There are none. Neither will have played a minute of college basketball. That's a big ask to say, yep, 15 minutes a night and solid post play from one or the other.

Mike from Rochester, NY

9:10

Among Shrewsberry's many failures at ND, his inability to land and develop a competent big man tops the list. What are realistic expectations for Ahneman and Solongo next year and do you see ND having any shot, given budgetary constraints, to land a decent Paul Atkinson-level big man next year?

Tom Noie

9:10

Kevin: Forget the NIT and focus on the College Basketball Crown, where six teams in the 2025 field qualified despite losing records. As funny as it may sound, Notre Dame would absolutely benefit from playing in any type of postseason. Of course, qualifying for the conference tournament may be a pre-requisite. Get to Charlotte first, then figure it out.

Kevin, Lemont

9:07

Is NIT out of reach, or will a 4-1 finish be enough?

Tom Noie

9:07

Rick: Somebody's leaving, not because they're unhappy with Micah Shrewsberry, but because EVERYONE can leave. That's the way of the college basketball world. Don't like your situation, find a new one. Carey Booth left after Micah Shrewsberry's first season. Tae Davis and J.R. Konieczny left after Micah Shrewsberry's second season. Somebody's leaving because that's what the sport demands. Everyone can be a free agent after every season, and chase possible bigger paydays/roles elsewhere. That's not an indictment on Notre Dame's program. That's college basketball.

Rick from Ohio

9:02

Of all the players elgible to return how many do you expect to be with the team in 2026-27?

Tom Noie

9:02

Charles: Roll back through to the answer of the first question of the chat. If Pete Bevacqua can honestly say that the administration has done everything possible to help the men's basketball program succeed (it hasn't) and that there is no discernable progress made (there has been), then the seat gets hot. Not sure it's even room temperature right now. And it shouldn't be. This was always going to take time. We're in time.

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