JotCast | February Notre Dame Hoops Chat

February Notre Dame Hoops Chat

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Liam from London:

11:47

Tom, I know it has been a while since you have been able to watch practice. However, from your years of experience, does the coaching staff go through end of game situations weekly in practice? Are the players drilled to get to spots? Or does Coach Brey simply want the players to read and react at crunch time? This season, the Irish looked totally disorganised against Ohio State, UNC and Georgia Tech. Those games could have gone either way. Even the win at Duke masked a heave and hope 28 footer from Prentiss in the waning moments.

Thomas Noie

11:47

PJ: I've not heard or seen or felt any indication from Notre Dame that Mike Brey won't have the chance to finish his current contract, which runs through 2024-25. Here's the one thing about the Brey-Swarbrick relationship - there's nobody more in Brey's corner than his boss. I don't see that relationship being tested in ways people want it tested anytime soon. Now, Mike Brey could walk into Jack Swarbrick's office today and pull a Jack Nolan (Got it!), and say he's done at the end of the year. But there's been less than zero indication that Brey's ready for the beach or a TV job.

PJ from Annapolis, MD

11:44

Tom, talk of the end of the Mike Brey era seems to be in vogue lately. Do you have a sense for where Brey and/or Swarbrick stand on his eventual departure/retirement? It seems reasonable to me that he should at least get a shot to coach the Hubb/Dane/Laz class into their super-senior year...

Thomas Noie

11:44

Joey: Think you should have more shots, go hunt a few more shots. Nobody's ever been pulled from a game for that. I think he'll take the win instead of the shot attempts.

Joey from Highland, IN

11:43

Do you think Nate is going to be happy getting 4-5 shots a game?

Thomas Noie

11:43

X: Anytime that issue becomes one, Prentiss Hubb goes and does what he did at the end of the Duke game. Go back and watch it. And the Kentucky game as well. That's who he is. Gotta ride with it.

11:43

Hi Tom - do you think Wertz needs to be more of the primary ball handler at the end of games? Just feel like he is more consistent at the point than Hubb. If you are going to have Hubb shoot up a prayer at the end of the shot clock, doesnt it make sense to let someone else bring the ball up and at least put the idea in the defense's head that maybe its not going to go to Hubb?

Thomas Noie

11:42

Ryan: Great to see someone who took Saturday's loss hard bounce back and deliver. Now do it again. And again. Not saying he has to go for 28, but get to the point where games like this aren't like, whoa, didn't expect that.

Ryan mars pa

11:41

hi Tom what do you think about cormac’s big game Tuesday go Irish

Thomas Noie

11:41

Buck: See above. Or below. Asked an answered.

Buck

11:41

What's going on with Carmody?

Thomas Noie

11:41

We won't. There's no plan to play Robby Carmody given his injury history. Stay healthy the rest of this year, get his basketball legs back under him in the spring and summer and early fall and chase a rotation spot for 2021-22.

Kevin

11:40

Will we see Robby Carmody this year

Thomas Noie

11:40

Liam: Great to hear from you and the iron curtain of the NDI web site has been infiltrated! Does that mean no emailing the transcript under the cover of darkness? LOL. As we sit here today, on Feb. 11, there is no scheduled makeup date for the Jan. 6 home game with Georgia Tech. Notre Dame thought it could slide Georgia Tech into the Jan. 18 slot vacated by the game at Howard, which has since shut down the season, but Georgia Tech balked at the ACC over playing a Monday-Wednesday-Saturday swing, so no game. And still no sign of one.

Liam from London:

11:38

Tom: Thanks for all your updates! I finally got through the GDPR restrictions and can be part of the chat live! Will the Irish make up the 6 January Georgia Tech home game that was postponed?

Thomas Noie

11:38

Kelly: I'll go zero, but I don't get the feeling from anyone over at Notre Dame that the main goal, or even the secondary goal of the program is to get their guys to the league. It's about more than just basketball over there.

Kelly from Mishawaka

11:37

Hi Tom,Over/under .5 career NBA games for the entire current roster?

Thomas Noie

11:37

Kyle: Love the underperformed narrative during a pandemic. Notre Dame underperforming? Lol. Join the club to the right. NCAA? Just keep winning. There's no set number. Not this year.

Kyle - Cedar Lake, IN

11:36

Irish have unperformed during this season. What record would they need to be considered a tournament team? Beat clemson and syracuse? Upset FSU? and win the games your supposed to? Unlikely as it sounds whats the chances at the tournament if they win out and 2 acc tournament wins? Thanks.

Thomas Noie

11:36

Jim: If YOU can't figure it out, you think I can? LOL Some of it with Durham is hey, I want to do more but there's a guy named John Mooney doing everything. Wait until I get my chance. We saw what happened with Durham early in the year when he got his chance. Now, it's a matter of seeing that the finish line is closing quickly. Like do it now or never do it. With Djogo, it's never been about opportunity. It's been about carrying over his practice effort to the game. And finding out what he can do to best help this team. He hit shots in practices, but couldn't make them in games. He wasn't good with the ball. So how can he help? He's now kind of understood how to fit.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

11:33

Hi Tom, really appreciate your work covering the Irish. Every time you're ready to leave this team for dead, they seem to get up off the mat and keep plugging along. I believe that one guy who is probably not getting his full due is Nik Djogo. As of late, he's doing a fine job of coming off the bench and making a real contribution in a number of areas. Which made me wonder why both he and Durham are coming on so darn late in their tenure with the Irish. Shouldn't these two guys have been bigger factors much earlier. And if so, is this more about coaching and developing them or is it more about the players themselves? And don't get me wrong, I love Brey but I just can't figure this whole thing out. Thanks.

Thomas Noie

11:32

Mike: I'd go with a 10, but I'd also do it with an asterisk. Nobody at Notre Dame is expecting the basketball program to NOT succeed. But it has to do it on the school's terms. No quick-fixes. No bending the rules. Do it the Notre Dame way. Yeah, that's difficult. As for your "mulit-year" malaise.....huh? Let's review - injuries to Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell and D.J. Harvey torpedoed the 2017-18 season, one where Notre Dame was Team No. 69 in the NCAA tournament and should've made the field. The injury to Rex Pflueger turned over the 2018-19 season to a freshman class that was in a no-win position. 2019-20? Gotta make the tournament with John Mooney a senior. There's your one "malaise" season. This year, in a pandemic, is a malaise? Man, that's pretty harsh.

Mike from Walla Walla

11:27

I know that football is king at ND. On a scale of 1-10, what do you see as the commitment from the university, and Jack Swarbrick specifically, to having the men's basketball team succeed on a consistent basis? What does sticking with Coach Brey during the current multi-year malaise say about that?

Thomas Noie

11:26

Myra: I don't know. For myriad reasons. Had this season been anything near normal, Tony Sanders likely would've gone the five-year route and sat out. Turns out he'll still have four years eligibility remaining. He was added as a long-term guy. Give him time to grow his game and figure it out. It's also too early to see where/how/if he fits because of uncertainty of the offseason. Does anyone leave? Does anyone come in? Too many variables right now to say definitively.

Myra, KC

11:24

Tom: Is there a spot for Tony Sanders in the rotation next season? How much of that is a factor of who comes back and who doesn't?

Thomas Noie

11:24

Todd: A lot of what I mentioned about Cormac Ryan can be applied to Trey Wertz. He played two years in the West Coast Conference. Now he's in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That's an adjustment. It takes time. Too few want to allow it. Like with Ryan, Wertz will get there.

Todd-Amarillo, TX

11:23

Is Trey Wertz overmatched as a player in the ACC? Because sometimes it sure seems that way.

Thomas Noie

11:22

See below. Or above.

Ron from St. Joe. Mi

11:22

Are we now seeing the real Cormac Ryan?

Thomas Noie

11:22

Clint: I'll pump the brakes on Cormac Ryan's bust-out game. Let's see it over weeks, then months, before we say yeah, he's arrived. Why did it take so long? We all want everything to happen right away. Like NOW!!!!! When it doesn't, we get angry. Cormac Ryan sat out for a year. That takes an adjustment. He went from the Pac-12 to the ACC. Again, an adjustment. He went from just a guy on the roster to a captain. Adjustment again. It just doesn't happen for guys because they've been good in practice/pickup sessions. I don't know if Ryan's going to be good for 28 a game, but he should be steady enough to be 12-17 a night. He'll get there.

Clint from Winnipeg

11:19

Tom, what's your take on Cormac Ryan? Before the Duke game, he had not lived up to his billing. What do you think the reasons were for that? Now that he's had a breakout game, if you will, can that be a catalyst for increased production moving forward?

Thomas Noie

11:19

John: Don't see it. Would you leave Phoenix to live in South Bend? Dan Hurley might need to win a little more (OK, a lot) before that jump.

John from Milwaukee

11:18

Hi Tom, assuming Mike Brey walks away sooner rather than later, what are your thoughts of the Hurley brothers as possible replacements? Both extremely connected in the Northeast Catholic basketball scene. Also, I am sure it would make Bob Sr. a very happy man.

Thomas Noie

11:14

Sorry my man, no political statement made. Inferred? That's on your end.

Ian from IN

11:14

What does being black have to do with anything? It’s about Wins and Losses. Best person for the job or leave. Who cares about political statements

Thomas Noie

11:13

Jay: Honestly, I think it is. You have to remember that it takes someone with little ego (every coach has one, let's be honest) to know where you stand in the athletic hierarchy at Notre Dame. You're never going to have the full financial support for facilities and other needs like football. Not going to happen. How many coaches would accept that? Five? Oh, yeah, and still win? Three? There's still no reason that it cannot be upper half of the ACC every year and every so often, pull off what Mike Brey pulled off in 2015 and 2016.

Jay from Chicago

11:11

Hi Tom, more of a big-picture question here. In your opinion, what is ND's ceiling in the ACC? While Duke and UNC are the undoubted headliners, I see no reason why they cannot develop a program that would hover in the 3rd-5th range on an annual basis. From previous articles I have read, it seems that others want to put UVA, Louisville and Florida St on a higher pedestal than ND. While they have had great success recently, what makes those programs more susceptible to winning consistently? My gut tells me that if ND struck lightning in a bottle and hired someone like Tony Bennett, the program could easily develop into a perennial top-15 program. Is that an overly optimistic worldview?

Thomas Noie

11:10

Morgan: It underscores how hard it is to recruit and win at Notre Dame - and do it within the rules and the academic guidelines. There's a reason why Notre Dame hasn't won a national championship in football since 1988. There's a reason why it hasn't gone to a Final Four since 1978. It's going to stay true to what it is and not try to be Clemson or Ohio State or Alabama in football or Duke or Villanova in basketball. It's just not going to happen, regardless of who it signs or who's the coach.

Morgan McKinley

11:08

Tom, Morgan again. Brey has had about 6-8 guys play in the NBA and only a few had long careers. Even 1st team All American Grant has struggled. Thomas couldn’t make it. Bonzie and other All Americans struggled. Does that show Brey is working either a lot less athletic ability athletes because schools like UMD and others who have far superior athletes yet (except the Juan Dixon era) do not outperform ND???

Thomas Noie

11:07

Andrew: Different formats have been discussed where teams go to Greensboro and are assured of playing more than just a one-and-done game. Don't think any of it has advanced past the exploratory or spit-ball idea stage, mainly because it all rolls back around to what TV wants. In March, it wants and needs and demands tournament basketball. That's what the ACC (as of now) plans to deliver.

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